Watsco, Inc. $WSO Stock Holdings Boosted by Caledonia Investments PLC

Caledonia Investments PLC grew its stake in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 6.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 232,927 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,500 shares during the quarter. Watsco makes up about 8.7% of Caledonia Investments PLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Caledonia Investments PLC owned 0.57% of Watsco worth $78,487,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Watsco by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,927 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,013,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Watsco by 17.6% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 18,711 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $8,263,000 after acquiring an additional 2,803 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Watsco by 5.3% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 3,837 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,694,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Watsco during the second quarter worth about $84,826,000. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Watsco by 7.3% during the second quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 1,129 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSO has been the subject of several research reports. Wolfe Research set a $349.00 target price on Watsco in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Watsco from $460.00 to $370.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Mizuho set a $425.00 price objective on Watsco in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research raised Watsco from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Watsco in a report on Monday, January 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $370.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Watsco has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $409.00.

Watsco Stock Performance

Shares of WSO opened at $370.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.58 and a beta of 1.06. Watsco, Inc. has a 1 year low of $323.05 and a 1 year high of $518.00. The company’s fifty day moving average is $392.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $373.60.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.94 by ($0.26). The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. Watsco had a return on equity of 15.49% and a net margin of 6.87%.The firm’s revenue was down 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.37 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.62 EPS for the current year.

About Watsco

Watsco, Inc is the largest distributor of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) equipment, parts and supplies in the United States. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, the company operates a network of more than 600 branches across the continental U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Watsco serves residential and commercial contractors by providing essential components for climate control systems, including air conditioners, furnaces, heat pumps, coils, refrigerants, controls and electrical and piping supplies.

Founded in 1947, Watsco has grown from a single regional distributor into an industry leader through a combination of organic expansion, acquisitions and strategic partnerships with original equipment manufacturers such as Carrier, Trane, Goodman and Lennox.