Semanteon Capital Management LP Boosts Holdings in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Semanteon Capital Management LP raised its stake in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 202.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,313 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,548 shares during the quarter. Semanteon Capital Management LP’s holdings in Watsco were worth $1,138,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $114,924,000 after purchasing an additional 233,167 shares during the period. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Watsco by 263.6% during the 1st quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 320,008 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $138,234,000 after buying an additional 231,987 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in shares of Watsco during the 1st quarter valued at $90,714,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Watsco by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,411,894 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,473,836,000 after acquiring an additional 146,305 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in Watsco by 50.9% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 185,633 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $80,188,000 after acquiring an additional 62,593 shares during the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Watsco Price Performance

NYSE WSO traded up $3.66 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $479.56. The company had a trading volume of 2,457 shares, compared to its average volume of 289,426. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 3.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.61 and a beta of 0.88. Watsco, Inc. has a 52 week low of $343.04 and a 52 week high of $520.41. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $482.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $474.15.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.73 by ($0.51). The firm 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%. Watsco’s revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.35 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Watsco, Inc. will post 13.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Watsco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 16th will be given a dividend of $2.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 16th. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Watsco from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st.

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.