LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / April 12, 2018 / Active-Investors has a free review on Watsco, Inc. (NYSE: WSO) following the Company's announcement that it will begin trading ex-dividend on April 13, 2018. To capture the dividend payout, investors must purchase the stock a day prior to the ex-dividend date that is by latest at the end of the trading session on April 12, 2018. Active-Investors has initiated due-diligence on this dividend stock. Register with us for more free research including the one on WSO:

www.active-investors.com/registration-sg/?symbol=WSO

If your portfolio includes dividend stocks, you have come to the right place for timely information. All you need to do is sign up for your free membership at:

www.active-investors.com/registration-sg

Dividend Declared

On April 02, 2018, Watsco's Board approved a 16% increase in the annual dividend rate to $5.80 per share and has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $1.45 on each outstanding share of its Common and Class B common stock. The cash dividend is payable on April 30, 2018, to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 16, 2018.

Albert H. Nahmad, Watsco's Chairman and CEO, stated:

"We are pleased to be able to increase dividends to our shareholders. This latest increase reflects our confidence in the business and is supported by our continued cash flow and strong balance sheet."

Watsco's indicated dividend represents a yield of 3.15%, which is substantially higher than the average dividend yield of 2.09% for the Services sector. Watsco has paid dividends for over 40 consecutive years with the philosophy of sharing increasing amounts of cash flow through higher dividends while maintaining a conservative financial position.

Dividend Insight

Watsco has a dividend payout ratio of 85.2%, which denotes that the Company spends approximately $0.85 for dividend distribution out of every $1.00 earned. The dividend payout ratio reflects how much amount a company is returning to shareholders versus how much money it is keeping on hand to reinvest in growth, to pay off debt, and/or to add to its cash reserves.

According to analysts' estimates, Watsco is forecasted to report earnings of $7.45 for the next year, which is considerably higher than the Company's annualized dividend of $5.80 per share.

At December 31, 2017, Watsco had cash and cash equivalents worth $80.50 million compared to $56.01 million as on December 31, 2016. For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company's net cash provided by operating activities totaled $301.85 million compared to $227.76 million for the year ago same period. The Company's balance sheet remains strong, providing the Company financial capacity and flexibility to strategically invest in the growth of its business while also paying a cash dividend to its shareholders.

Recent Development for Watsco

On April 06, 2018, Watsco announced that it will host a conference call to discuss its 2018 first quarter earnings results on April 24, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). Prepared remarks regarding the financial and operational results will be followed by a question and answer session with Watsco's senior management team.

About Watsco, Inc.

Watsco operates the largest distribution network for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC/R) products with locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, and on an export basis to Latin America and the Caribbean. Watsco estimates that over 250,000 contractors and technicians visit or call one of its 560 locations each year to get information, obtain technical support, and buy products.

Stock Performance Snapshot

April 11, 2018 - At Wednesday's closing bell, Watsco's stock fell 1.36%, ending the trading session at $184.61.

Volume traded for the day: 210.09 thousand shares.

Stock performance in the last month ? up 1.60%; previous three-month period ? up 6.67%; past twelve-month period ? up 30.74%; and year-to-date ? up 8.57%

After yesterday's close, Watsco's market cap was at $7.00 billion.

Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio was at 33.50.

The stock has a dividend yield of 2.71%.

The stock is part of the Services sector, categorized under the Electronics Wholesale industry.

Active-Investors:

Active-Investors (A-I) produces regular sponsored and non-sponsored reports, articles, stock market blogs, and popular investment newsletters covering equities listed on NYSE and NASDAQ and Canadian stocks. A-I has two distinct and independent departments. One department produces non-sponsored analyst certified content generally in the form of press releases, articles and reports covering equities listed on NYSE and NASDAQ and the other produces sponsored content (in most cases not reviewed by a registered analyst), which typically consists of compensated investment newsletters, articles and reports covering listed stocks and micro-caps. Such sponsored content is outside the scope of procedures detailed below.

A-I has not been compensated; directly or indirectly; for producing or publishing this document.

PRESS RELEASE PROCEDURES:

The non-sponsored content contained herein has been prepared by a writer (the "Author") and is fact checked and reviewed by a third-party research service company (the "Reviewer") represented by a credentialed financial analyst [for further information on analyst credentials, please email info@active-investors.com. Rohit Tuli, a CFA® charterholder (the "Sponsor"), provides necessary guidance in preparing the document templates. The Reviewer has reviewed and revised the content, as necessary, based on publicly available information which is believed to be reliable. Content is researched, written and reviewed on a reasonable-effort basis. The Reviewer has not performed any independent investigations or forensic audits to validate the information herein. The Reviewer has only independently reviewed the information provided by the Author according to the procedures outlined by A-I. A-I is not entitled to veto or interfere in the application of such procedures by the third-party research service company to the articles, documents or reports, as the case may be. Unless otherwise noted, any content outside of this document has no association with the Author or the Reviewer in any way.

NO WARRANTY

A-I, the Author, and the Reviewer are not responsible for any error which may be occasioned at the time of printing of this document or any error, mistake or shortcoming. No liability is accepted whatsoever for any direct, indirect or consequential loss arising from the use of this document. A-I, the Author, and the Reviewer expressly disclaim any fiduciary responsibility or liability for any consequences, financial or otherwise arising from any reliance placed on the information in this document. Additionally, A-I, the Author, and the Reviewer do not (1) guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, completeness or correct sequencing of the information, or (2) warrant any results from use of the information. The included information is subject to change without notice.

NOT AN OFFERING

This document is not intended as an offering, recommendation, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities mentioned or discussed, and is to be used for informational purposes only. Please read all associated disclosures and disclaimers in full before investing. Neither A-I nor any party affiliated with us is a registered investment adviser or broker-dealer with any agency or in any jurisdiction whatsoever. To download our report(s), read our disclosures, or for more information, visit http://active-investors.com/legal-disclaimer/.

CONTACT

For any questions, inquiries, or comments reach out to us directly. If you're a company we are covering and wish to no longer feature on our coverage list contact us via email and/or phone between 09:30 EDT to 16:00 EDT from Monday to Friday at:

Email: info@active-investors.com

Phone number: 73 29 92 6381

Office Address: 6, Jalan Kia Peng, Kuala Lumpur, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

SOURCE: Active-Investors