Watsco (NYSE:WSO) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.09 EPS

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by ($0.09), Briefing.com reports. Watsco had a net margin of 7.03% and a return on equity of 19.26%. The company had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.83 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis.

Watsco Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE WSO traded up $0.77 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $444.77. The stock had a trading volume of 30,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 344,190. The firm has a market cap of $17.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.14 and a beta of 0.90. Watsco has a twelve month low of $315.17 and a twelve month high of $451.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.92. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $411.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $399.44.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a $2.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. This is an increase from Watsco’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.45. Watsco’s payout ratio is 83.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WSO. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $500.00 price target on shares of Watsco in a research note on Thursday. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Watsco from $420.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $404.25.

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.