Markel Group Inc. Has $194.65 Million Position in Watsco, Inc. $WSO

Markel Group Inc. grew its holdings in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Free Report) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 577,669 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,500 shares during the quarter. Watsco comprises 1.6% of Markel Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Markel Group Inc. owned approximately 1.42% of Watsco worth $194,646,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of Watsco by 741.4% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 2,285,895 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $924,187,000 after purchasing an additional 2,014,233 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Watsco by 1.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,238,121 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $500,572,000 after purchasing an additional 16,595 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its position in shares of Watsco by 60,779.4% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 599,662 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $202,056,000 after purchasing an additional 598,677 shares during the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its position in shares of Watsco by 31.8% in the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 470,177 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $159,293,000 after purchasing an additional 113,333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hamlin Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Watsco by 13.3% in the third quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 405,480 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $163,936,000 after purchasing an additional 47,643 shares during the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Watsco from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Mizuho set a $425.00 price target on Watsco in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Watsco from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Stephens lifted their target price on Watsco from $475.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Watsco from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Watsco presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $399.83.

Watsco Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of WSO opened at $374.58 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $15.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.09 and a beta of 1.12. Watsco, Inc. has a 12 month low of $323.05 and a 12 month high of $494.94. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $399.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $381.10.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The construction company reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.49 billion. Watsco had a net margin of 6.85% and a return on equity of 15.31%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.93 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Watsco, Inc. will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 16th were paid a dividend of $3.30 per share. This is a positive change from Watsco's previous quarterly dividend of $3.00. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 16th. Watsco's dividend payout ratio is 109.54%.

Key Headlines Impacting Watsco

Here are the key news stories impacting Watsco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised Watsco’s FY2026 EPS estimate to $12.56 from $12.38, suggesting slightly better expected full-year profitability. Watsco research report
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also increased its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $4.29 from $4.22 and Q1 2027 EPS to $1.92 from $1.89, pointing to stronger near-term earnings expectations. Watsco research report
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks slightly lifted its Q2 2027 EPS forecast to $4.75 from $4.74, indicating continued stability in the outlook. Watsco research report
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks kept a Hold rating on Watsco, which does not signal a major change in its overall view of the stock. Watsco research report
• Negative Sentiment: Longer-term estimates were trimmed, including FY2027 EPS to $13.70 from $13.83, FY2028 EPS to $14.93 from $15.63, and Q4 2027 EPS to $2.34 from $2.42, which may have weighed on sentiment. Watsco research report
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 2026 EPS was also cut slightly to $4.25 from $4.27, reinforcing the view that analysts see some earnings moderation ahead. Watsco research report

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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