Zacks Research Comments on Watsco’s Q4 Earnings (NYSE:WSO)

Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) – Zacks Research reduced their Q4 2024 earnings estimates for Watsco in a research note issued on Wednesday, November 13th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the construction company will earn $1.97 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $2.26. The consensus estimate for Watsco’s current full-year earnings is $13.06 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Watsco’s Q1 2025 earnings at $2.25 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $4.75 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $4.91 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $2.57 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.49 EPS and Q2 2026 earnings at $5.21 EPS.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Watsco from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st.

Watsco Trading Down 1.0 %

Watsco stock opened at $520.74 on Monday. Watsco has a 12 month low of $373.33 and a 12 month high of $545.49. The company has a market capitalization of $21.03 billion, a PE ratio of 40.24 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $492.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $482.70.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.73 by ($0.51). The business had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. Watsco had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.77%. The business’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.35 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Watsco

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WSO. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 16,773 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,246,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Watsco by 7.1% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 1,803 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $779,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Watsco by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,411,894 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,473,836,000 after purchasing an additional 146,305 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Watsco by 32.5% in the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 1,633 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $705,000 after acquiring an additional 401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its position in shares of Watsco by 66.7% during the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 500 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Watsco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 16th were paid a $2.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 16th. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Watsco’s payout ratio is 83.46%.

Watsco Company 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.