First Bank & Trust Sells 63 Shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

First Bank & Trust trimmed its position in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,195 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 63 shares during the period. First Bank & Trust’s holdings in Watsco were worth $566,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in Watsco by 32.2% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 4,258 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,094,000 after purchasing an additional 1,038 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its holdings in Watsco by 40.6% during the third quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 3,217 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,582,000 after purchasing an additional 929 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Watsco by 3,571.0% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,138 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $560,000 after purchasing an additional 1,107 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in Watsco by 1.7% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 64,758 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $31,853,000 after purchasing an additional 1,074 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Watsco by 5.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 51,590 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $25,645,000 after purchasing an additional 2,738 shares during the period. 89.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Watsco news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $508.21, for a total transaction of $5,589,293.58. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 12.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Watsco Stock Performance

Shares of WSO stock opened at $511.11 on Thursday. Watsco, Inc. has a 52-week low of $373.33 and a 52-week high of $571.41. The company has a market capitalization of $20.64 billion, a PE ratio of 38.57 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s fifty day moving average is $484.90 and its 200 day moving average is $491.75.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.13 by $0.24. Watsco had a return on equity of 17.61% and a net margin of 7.04%. The company had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th were given a $2.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on WSO. Raymond James began coverage on Watsco in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Northcoast Research began coverage on Watsco in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Watsco from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $495.00.

About Watsco

Watsco, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the distribution of air conditioning, heating, refrigeration equipment, and related parts and supplies in the United States and internationally. The company distributes equipment, including residential ducted and ductless air conditioners, such as gas, electric, and oil furnaces; commercial air conditioning and heating equipment systems; and other specialized equipment.