Bath Savings Trust Co Has $18.73 Million Holdings in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Bath Savings Trust Co lessened its stake in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,529 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 671 shares during the quarter. Watsco comprises about 1.9% of Bath Savings Trust Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Bath Savings Trust Co owned about 0.10% of Watsco worth $18,732,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in Watsco by 273.5% during the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 549 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Watsco during the second quarter worth $372,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Watsco during the second quarter worth $61,000. Choreo LLC acquired a new position in shares of Watsco in the 2nd quarter valued at $310,000. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its position in shares of Watsco by 19.8% in the 2nd quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 32,799 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $15,194,000 after buying an additional 5,426 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Watsco Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE WSO traded down $6.86 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $464.51. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 274,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 217,420. Watsco, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $373.33 and a fifty-two week high of $571.41. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $511.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $492.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.90 and a beta of 0.95.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.73 by ($0.51). Watsco had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.77%. The company had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.35 EPS. Watsco’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Watsco, Inc. will post 13.06 EPS for the current year.

Watsco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a $2.70 dividend. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of Watsco in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock.

Insider Activity at Watsco

In other Watsco 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 12.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.