188,840 Shares in Watsco, Inc. $WSO Bought by Findlay Park Partners LLP

Findlay Park Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 188,840 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $78,695,000. Findlay Park Partners LLP owned about 0.46% of Watsco at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WSO. CWM LLC increased its position in Watsco by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 710 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $239,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Watsco by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,115 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $406,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC boosted its position in Watsco by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 7,814 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,633,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Watsco by 5.2% during the second quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 783 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $346,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Watsco by 10.5% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 496 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $181,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.71% of the company's stock.

More Watsco News

Here are the key news stories impacting Watsco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its EPS forecast for Q1 2027 to $1.93 from $1.92 and Q1 2028 to $2.05 from $1.93. Its FY2028 estimate also increased to $15.26 from $14.93, suggesting analysts still see longer-term earnings growth potential. Watsco stock information
• Neutral Sentiment: The firm maintained estimates of $13.53 EPS for FY2027 and $15.26 for FY2028, while its current full-year consensus reference stands at approximately $12.43 per share. The revisions indicate a mixed outlook rather than a broad change in the long-term investment thesis.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut its FY2026 EPS forecast to $12.21 from $12.56 and lowered Q3 2026 EPS to $4.21 from $4.29 and Q4 2026 EPS to $2.13 from $2.15. These reductions point to softer near-term earnings expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Estimates were also reduced for Q2 2027 to $4.61 from $4.75, Q3 2027 to $4.65 from $4.69, and FY2027 to $13.53 from $13.70. The repeated cuts may weigh on sentiment, particularly because Watsco already trades at a meaningful earnings multiple despite its recent earnings miss.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WSO shares. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Watsco from $385.00 to $330.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Watsco in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $485.00 target price on shares of Watsco in a report on Monday, August 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Watsco from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Watsco from $370.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Watsco has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $395.50.

Watsco Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of WSO stock opened at $311.57 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $12.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.02 and a beta of 1.05. Watsco, Inc. has a 52-week low of $300.66 and a 52-week high of $459.00. The company's 50 day moving average is $363.17 and its 200 day moving average is $385.73.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $4.00 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.41 by ($0.41). The company had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.14 billion. Watsco had a net margin of 6.53% and a return on equity of 14.40%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.52 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Watsco, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 16th were paid a $3.30 dividend. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 16th. Watsco's dividend payout ratio is 114.48%.

Watsco Profile

Watsco, Inc is the largest distributor of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) equipment, parts and supplies in the United States. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, the company operates a network of more than 600 branches across the continental U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Watsco serves residential and commercial contractors by providing essential components for climate control systems, including air conditioners, furnaces, heat pumps, coils, refrigerants, controls and electrical and piping supplies.

Founded in 1947, Watsco has grown from a single regional distributor into an industry leader through a combination of organic expansion, acquisitions and strategic partnerships with original equipment manufacturers such as Carrier, Trane, Goodman and Lennox.

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