SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 211 Shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

SG Americas Securities LLC lessened its stake in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 36.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 362 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 211 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Watsco were worth $172,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC lifted its position in Watsco by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,624,159 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,782,651,000 after acquiring an additional 346,470 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Watsco by 48,984.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 233,643 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $114,924,000 after purchasing an additional 233,167 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 2,128.1% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 107,463 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $52,880,000 after purchasing an additional 102,640 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Watsco by 5.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,173,762 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $577,350,000 after buying an additional 65,846 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Watsco by 9.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 704,330 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $345,783,000 after buying an additional 63,254 shares in the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Watsco Stock Down 1.8 %

NYSE:WSO opened at $464.98 on Monday. Watsco, Inc. has a twelve month low of $373.33 and a twelve month high of $571.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.93 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $491.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $491.80.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th were given a dividend of $2.70 per share. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSO has been the topic of several research reports. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on Watsco in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of Watsco in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Watsco has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $488.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watsco

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

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.