SG Americas Securities LLC Invests $282,000 in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 573 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $282,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its position in shares of Watsco by 30.6% in the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 94 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. grew its position in Watsco by 10.2% during the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 293 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its position in Watsco by 100.0% during the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 58 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its position in Watsco by 52.6% during the 1st quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 87 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, InterOcean Capital Group LLC grew its position in Watsco by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. InterOcean Capital Group LLC now owns 570 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Watsco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WSO opened at $502.73 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 3.21, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Watsco, Inc. has a 12 month low of $338.58 and a 12 month high of $520.41. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $481.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $472.34. The stock has a market cap of $20.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.67 and a beta of 0.88.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The construction company reported $4.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.70 by ($0.21). Watsco had a net margin of 7.02% and a return on equity of 18.55%. The business had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.42 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Watsco, Inc. will post 13.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 16th will be paid a $2.70 dividend. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 16th. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.08%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on WSO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Watsco from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Watsco from $522.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th.

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.