MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB Buys 827 Shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 879.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 921 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 827 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB’s holdings in Watsco were worth $436,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Watsco by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 13,733 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,362,000 after buying an additional 513 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Watsco by 6.6% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 39,679 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $18,381,000 after acquiring an additional 2,458 shares during the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Watsco during the second quarter valued at approximately $677,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Watsco by 70.5% during the second quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,076 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $498,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 213.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 32,972 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $15,903,000 after purchasing an additional 22,446 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on WSO. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of Watsco in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Raymond James began coverage on shares of Watsco in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $488.33.

Insider Activity at Watsco

In related news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $508.21, for a total value of $5,589,293.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 12.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Watsco Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:WSO opened at $505.29 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $507.11 and its 200-day moving average is $492.78. Watsco, Inc. has a 1-year low of $373.33 and a 1-year high of $571.41. The stock has a market cap of $20.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.05 and a beta of 0.95.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.73 by ($0.51). The business had revenue of $2.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. Watsco had a return on equity of 17.77% and a net margin of 6.99%. The company’s revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.35 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Watsco, Inc. will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Watsco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a $2.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio is 83.46%.

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.