Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Shares Sold by Aigen Investment Management LP

Aigen Investment Management LP lessened its position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 55.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 500 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 635 shares during the period. Aigen Investment Management LP’s holdings in Watsco were worth $237,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WSO. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Watsco by 10.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,624,159 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,782,651,000 after purchasing an additional 346,470 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Watsco by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,371,535 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $649,957,000 after buying an additional 118,713 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Watsco by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,173,762 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $577,350,000 after acquiring an additional 65,846 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Watsco by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 704,330 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $345,783,000 after acquiring an additional 63,254 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Watsco by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 464,061 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $228,263,000 after acquiring an additional 41,845 shares during the period. 89.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WSO shares. Raymond James began coverage on Watsco in a report on Friday, January 17th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of Watsco in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of Watsco from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Watsco from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Watsco has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $486.25.

Insider Transactions at Watsco

In other news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $508.21, for a total transaction of $5,589,293.58. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 12.86% of the company’s stock.

Watsco Trading Up 5.1 %

Shares of Watsco stock opened at $513.78 on Monday. Watsco, Inc. has a 52 week low of $389.08 and a 52 week high of $571.41. The stock has a market cap of $20.75 billion, a PE ratio of 38.78 and a beta of 0.92. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $486.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $494.33.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.13 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Watsco had a net margin of 7.04% and a return on equity of 17.59%. On average, equities analysts predict that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th were given a dividend of $2.70 per share. 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 2.10%. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.51%.

Watsco Profile

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.