Watsco, Inc. $WSO Shares Bought by Vantage Investment Partners LLC

Vantage Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 12.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 158,419 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 17,875 shares during the quarter. Watsco comprises about 2.9% of Vantage Investment Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Vantage Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Watsco were worth $47,952,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WSO. Markel Group Inc. grew its stake in Watsco by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 582,169 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $211,787,000 after buying an additional 4,500 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Watsco during the third quarter worth approximately $96,991,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Watsco during the second quarter worth approximately $119,291,000. Caledonia Investments PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 12.2% during the third quarter. Caledonia Investments PLC now owns 261,439 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $79,072,000 after acquiring an additional 28,512 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Watsco during the second quarter worth approximately $97,937,000. Institutional investors own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Watsco from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings downgraded Watsco from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Watsco from $370.00 to $330.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 12th. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on Watsco from $385.00 to $330.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $400.00 target price on Watsco in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Watsco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $373.62.

Watsco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSO opened at $290.36 on Thursday. Watsco, Inc. has a 52 week low of $277.34 and a 52 week high of $459.00. The firm has a market cap of $11.98 billion, a PE ratio of 25.18 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $306.35 and its 200-day moving average is $366.43.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The construction company reported $3.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.10 by ($0.33). The company had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.21 billion. Watsco had a net margin of 6.53% and a return on equity of 14.40%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.98 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Watsco, Inc. will post 12.19 EPS for the current year.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be paid a $3.30 dividend. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 114.48%.

More Watsco News

Here are the key news stories impacting Watsco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Watsco reported record third-quarter revenue of $2.22 billion, up 7.4% year over year and slightly above expectations. Management cited improving demand, its technology platform and entrepreneurial sales culture as ongoing growth drivers. Watsco Reports Record Third Quarter Sales, Strong Cash Flow and Improving Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Recent acquisitions of Jackson Supply Company and The Granite Group added 107 locations and approximately $730 million in annualized revenue, supporting Watsco’s expansion strategy. Watsco Posts Record Q3 Revenue, Expands Through Acquisitions
• Positive Sentiment: Operating cash flow reached $325 million in the quarter, while nine-month cash flow rose 79% to $303.7 million. Watsco also replaced its prior $600 million revolving facility with a new syndicated credit facility, expanding financial flexibility for acquisitions and operations. Watsco Expands Liquidity with New Syndicated Credit Facility
• Neutral Sentiment: Watsco’s HVAC distribution business benefits from relatively resilient replacement demand, which may provide longer-term support even when broader consumer activity weakens. Watsco and Ferguson Shareholders
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter diluted EPS was $3.77, below analyst estimates of roughly $4.10–$4.13 and down from $3.98 a year earlier. The earnings shortfall is the primary reason for the negative market reaction. Watsco Q3 Earnings Miss Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability weakened: net income declined to $182.8 million, operating income fell 4% to $225.2 million, and gross margin was 26.4%. The results suggest cost or mix pressures offset the benefit of higher revenue. Watsco Stock Slides After Q3 2026 Earnings Misses Estimates

About Watsco

Watsco, Inc (NYSE: WSO) is a distributor of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) equipment and related products. The company supplies residential and light commercial air-conditioning and heating systems, refrigeration equipment, replacement parts, and other supplies used by contractors and service professionals.

Watsco distributes products from leading HVAC/R manufacturers, including equipment and components such as air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, air handlers, thermostats, controls, motors and indoor air-quality products.