MIAMI, FLORIDA – (GLOBENEWSWIRE), October 1, 2024 – Watsco, Inc.’s (NYSE: WSO) Board of Directors has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $2.70 on each outstanding share of its Common and Class B common stock payable on October 31, 2024 to shareholders of record at the close of business on October 16, 2024.
Watsco has paid dividends to shareholders for 50 consecutive years. The Company’s philosophy is to share cash flow through dividends while maintaining a conservative balance sheet with continued capacity to build its distribution network. Future changes in dividends are considered in light of investment opportunities, cash flow, general economic conditions and Watsco’s overall financial condition.
About Watsco
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.
We focus on the replacement market, which has increased in size and importance as a result of the aging of installed systems, the introduction of higher energy efficient models and the necessity of HVAC products in homes and businesses. According to data published in March 2023 by the Energy Information Administration, there are approximately 102 million HVAC systems installed in the United States that have been in service for more than 10 years, most of which operate well below current minimum efficiency standards.
Accordingly, Watsco has the opportunity to be a significant and important contributor toward climate change as it plays an important role to lower CO2e emissions. According to the Department of Energy, HVAC systems account for roughly half of U.S. household energy consumption. As such, replacing older systems at higher efficiency levels is a critical means for homeowners to reduce electricity consumption and their carbon footprint.
Based on estimates validated by independent sources, Watsco averted an estimated 20.9 million metric tons of CO2e emissions from January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2024 through the sale of replacement HVAC systems at higher-efficiency standards, an equivalent of removing 5.0 million gas powered vehicles annually off the road. More information, including sources and assumptions used to support the Company’s estimates, can be found at www.watsco.com.