Running Oak Capital LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Running Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 14.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,178 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,879 shares during the period. Watsco comprises about 2.0% of Running Oak Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Running Oak Capital LLC owned about 0.06% of Watsco worth $9,931,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WSO. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Watsco in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Watsco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Watsco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Watsco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Hartford Financial Management Inc. grew its position in Watsco by 53.1% during the 4th quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 75 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Watsco Price Performance

Shares of WSO stock traded up $5.37 on Thursday, hitting $456.08. 236,301 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 344,141. The company has a 50 day moving average of $416.50 and a 200 day moving average of $400.91. The stock has a market cap of $18.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.08 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Watsco, Inc. has a 12 month low of $315.17 and a 12 month high of $456.15.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. Watsco had a return on equity of 19.26% and a net margin of 7.03%. The firm’s revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.83 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.25 EPS for the current year.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th were issued a dividend of $2.70 per share. This is an increase from Watsco’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 12th. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.08%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Watsco from $420.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $500.00 price target on shares of Watsco in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $404.25.

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.