MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) (Paris:WSO) announced today that its Board of Directors increased its regular quarterly cash dividend rate by 10% to 57 cents per share from 52 cents per share on each outstanding share of its Common and Class B common stock.
Albert H. Nahmad, Watsco's President and Chief Executive Officer, stated: "Watsco generated record cash flow of $153 million in 2010, ended the year with cash of over $125 million and borrowings of $10 million. We are highly confident that we can continue to invest in and grow our business as well as continue to raise dividends as a means for shareholders to benefit in the success of the Company."
Watsco improves indoor living and working environments with air conditioning and heating solutions that provide comfort regardless of the outdoor climate. Our solutions also promote healthier indoor spaces by removing pollutants from the indoor air that can lead to asthma, allergies and reductions in productivity. Furthermore, since heating and cooling accounts for approximately 56% of the energy consumed in a typical United States home, we offer consumers the greatest opportunity to save money on energy by replacing existing air conditioning and heating systems with more energy efficient and environmentally friendly solutions.
There are approximately 74 million central air conditioning and heating systems installed in the United States that have been in service for more than 10 years. Older systems often operate below government mandated energy efficiency and environmental standards. Watsco has an opportunity to accelerate the replacement of these systems at a scale greater than our competitors as the movement toward reducing energy consumption and its environmental impact continues. As the industry leader with over 500 locations in the United States and Puerto Rico, with additional market coverage on an export basis to parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, significant growth potential remains given that our current revenue run-rate is less than 10% of the estimated $30 billion United States market for HVAC/R products. Additional information about Watsco may be found at http://www.watsco.com.