Is Watsco Stock a Good Investment?

Watsco Investment Advice

  WSO
To provide specific investment advice or recommendations on Watsco Inc stock, we recommend investors consider the following general factors when evaluating Watsco Inc. This will help you to make an informed decision on whether to include Watsco in one of your diversified portfolios:
  • Examine Watsco's financial health by looking at its balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. Analyze key financial ratios, such as Price-to-Earnings (P/E), Price-to-Sales (P/S), and Price-to-Book (P/B), to determine whether the stock is fairly valued or over/undervalued.
  • Research Watsco's leadership team and their track record. Good management can help Watsco navigate difficult times and make strategic decisions that benefit shareholders and increases its net worth.
  • Consider the overall health of the Trading Companies & Distributors space and any emerging trends that could impact Watsco's business and its evolving consumer preferences.
  • Compare Watsco's performance and market position to its competitors. Analyze how Watsco is positioned in terms of product offerings, innovation, and market share.
  • Check if Watsco pays a dividend and its dividend yield and payout ratio.
  • Review what financial analysts are saying about Watsco's stock and their price targets. However, remember that analysts' opinions can vary, and their predictions may not always be accurate.
It's important to note that investing in Watsco Inc stock, carries risks, and you should carefully consider your investment goals and risk tolerance before making any investment decisions. Also, remember that it's important for investors to have a long-term perspective and a well-diversified portfolio to manage the impact of stock market volatility on their investments. Below is a detailed guide on how to decide if Watsco Inc is a good investment.
 
Sell
 
Buy
Strong Hold
Macroaxis provides trade recommendation on Watsco to complement and cross-verify current analyst consensus on Watsco Inc. Our trade advice engine determines the company's potential to grow exclusively from the perspective of an investor's current risk tolerance and investing horizon. To make sure Watsco Inc is not overpriced, please check out all Watsco Inc fundamentals, including its book value per share, and the relationship between the net income and number of employees . Given that Watsco Inc has a price to earning of 36.34 X, we strongly advise you to confirm Watsco Inc market performance and probability of bankruptcy to ensure the company can sustain itself in the current economic cycle given your prevalent risk tolerance and investing horizon.

Market Performance

InsignificantDetails

Volatility

Very steadyDetails

Hype Condition

Low keyDetails

Current Valuation

OvervaluedDetails

Odds Of Distress

Very SmallDetails

Economic Sensitivity

Follows the market closelyDetails

Investor Sentiment

AlarmedDetails

Analyst Consensus

BuyDetails

Financial Strenth (F Score)

StrongDetails

Financial Leverage

Not RatedDetails

Reporting Quality (M-Score)

UnavailableDetails

Examine Watsco Stock

Researching Watsco's stock involves analyzing various aspects of the company and its industry to make an informed investment decision. The key areas to focus on are fundamentals, business model and competitive advantage. It is also important to analyze trends in revenue, net income, and cash flow, as well as key financial ratios, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and debt-to-equity (D/E). About 100.0% of the company outstanding shares are owned by institutional investors. The company recorded earning per share (EPS) of 13.0. Watsco Inc last dividend was issued on the 17th of January 2025. The entity had 3:2 split on the 17th of August 1998.
To determine if Watsco is a good investment, evaluating the company's potential for future growth is also very important. This may include expanding into new markets, launching new products or services, or improving operational efficiency. Companies with strong growth prospects can be more attractive investments. This aspect of the research should be conducted in the context of the overall market and industry in which the company operates and should include an analysis of growth potential, competitive landscape, and any regulatory or economic factors that could impact the business. Some of the essential points regarding Watsco's research are outlined below:
Watsco Inc is unlikely to experience financial distress in the next 2 years
Watsco Inc has a strong financial position based on the latest SEC filings
Over 100.0% of the company outstanding shares are owned by institutional investors
Latest headline from simplywall.st: Watsco Insiders Sold US6.4m Of Shares Suggesting Hesitancy

Watsco Quarterly Good Will

458.83 Million

Watsco uses earnings reports to provide investors with an update of all three financial statements, including the income statement, the balance sheet, and the cash flow statement. Therefore, it is also crucial when considering investing in Watsco Inc. Every quarterly earnings report provides investors with an overview of sales, expenses, and net income for the most recent period. It also may provide a comparison to Watsco's previous reporting period. The quarterly earnings reports are usually disseminated to the public via Form 10-Q, which is a legal document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission every quarter.
15th of February 2024
Upcoming Quarterly Report
View
18th of April 2024
Next Financial Report
View
31st of December 2023
Next Fiscal Quarter End
View
15th of February 2024
Next Fiscal Year End
View
30th of September 2023
Last Quarter Report
View
31st of December 2022
Last Financial Announcement
View
Earnings surprises can significantly impact Watsco's stock price both in the short term and over time. Negative earnings surprises usually result in a price decline. However, it has been seen that positive earnings surprises lead to an immediate rise in a stock's price and a gradual increase over time. This is why we often hear news about some companies beating earning projections. Financial analysts spend a large amount of time predicting earnings per share (EPS) along with other important future indicators. Many analysts use forecasting models, management guidance, and additional fundamental information to derive an EPS estimate. Below are the table of largest EPS Surprises Watsco's investors have experienced.
Reported
Fiscal Date
Estimated EPS
Reported EPS
Surprise
2002-02-14
2001-12-310.050.04-0.0120 
2001-04-27
2001-03-310.080.090.0112 
1999-04-15
1999-03-310.070.080.0114 
1996-04-16
1996-03-310.070.080.0114 
1996-03-12
1995-12-310.070.080.0114 
2003-02-19
2002-12-310.070.05-0.0228 
2002-04-23
2002-03-310.090.110.0222 
2005-04-21
2005-03-310.30.330.0310 

Watsco Target Price Consensus

Watsco target price is determined by taking all analyst projections and averaging them out. There is no one specific way to measure analysts' performance other than comparing it to past results via a very sophisticated attribution analysis. Watsco's target price projections below should be used in combination with other traditional price prediction techniques such as stock price forecasting, investor sentiment analysis, technical analysis, earnings estimate, and various momentum models.
   15  Buy
Most Watsco analysts issue ratings four times a year, at intervals of three months. Ratings are usually accompanied by a target price to help potential investors understand Watsco stock's fair price compared to its market value. Analysts arrive at stock ratings after researching the public financial statements of Watsco Inc, talking to its executives and customers, or listening to those companies' conference calls.
Macroaxis Advice   Exposure   Valuation

Watsco Target Price Projection

Watsco's current and average target prices are 492.20 and 477.10, respectively. The current price of Watsco is the price at which Watsco Inc is currently trading. On the other hand, Watsco's target price is what analysts think the stock is worth or could sell for in the future. The more significant the discrepancy between the two prices, the more it stimulates investors to act.

Current Price

Watsco Market Quote on 24th of January 2025

Low Price492.2Odds
High Price492.2Odds

492.2

Target Price

Analyst Consensus On Watsco Target Price

Low Estimate434.16Odds
High Estimate529.58Odds

477.1018

Historical Lowest Forecast  434.16 Target Price  477.1 Highest Forecast  529.58
Note that most analysts generally publish their price targets in research reports on specific companies, along with recommendations for the company's stock.Although price targets are often quoted in the financial news media, there could be a delay between the publication of the latest analyst outlook on Watsco Inc and the information provided on this page.

Watsco Analyst Ratings

Watsco's analyst stock recommendations are determined by taking an average estimate of all analysts we track and classifying them as Strong Buy, Buy, Hold, Strong Sell, or Sell. Ratings generally communicate what analysts sense about Watsco stock, and they use a lot of effort and time to analyze it and arrive at a rating. That suggests that analyst recommendations are the outcome of an objective and thorough examination of Watsco's financials, market performance, and future outlook by experienced professionals. Watsco's historical ratings below, therefore, can serve as a valuable tool for investors.

Know Watsco's Top Institutional Investors

Have you ever been surprised when a price of an equity instrument such as Watsco is soaring high without any particular reason? This is usually happening because many institutional investors are aggressively trading Watsco Inc backward and forwards among themselves. Watsco's institutional investor refers to the entity that pools money to purchase Watsco's securities or originate loans. Institutional investors include commercial and private banks, credit unions, insurance companies, pension funds, hedge funds, endowments, and mutual funds. Operating companies that invest excess capital in these types of assets may also be included in the term and may influence corporate governance by exercising voting rights in their investments.
Shares
Morgan Stanley - Brokerage Accounts2024-09-30
593.7 K
Markel Group Inc2024-09-30
582.5 K
Wells Fargo & Co2024-09-30
473.9 K
Jpmorgan Chase & Co2024-09-30
464.1 K
Wellington Management Company Llp2024-09-30
450.2 K
Barclays Plc2024-09-30
384.4 K
Bank Of New York Mellon Corp2024-09-30
373.8 K
Raymond James & Associates2024-09-30
358.2 K
Boston Financial Mangement Inc2024-09-30
341.3 K
Blackrock Inc2024-09-30
3.8 M
Fmr Inc2024-09-30
3.6 M
Note, although Watsco's institutional investors appear to be way more sophisticated than retail investors, it remains unclear if professional active investment managers can reliably enhance risk-adjusted returns by an amount that exceeds fees and expenses.

Watsco's market capitalization trends

The company currently falls under 'Large-Cap' category with a total capitalization of 19.96 B.

Market Cap

14.79 Billion

Watsco's profitablity analysis

Last ReportedProjected for Next Year
Return On Tangible Assets 0.16  0.17 
Return On Capital Employed 0.23  0.13 
Return On Assets 0.13  0.14 
Return On Equity 0.22  0.23 
The company has Net Profit Margin of 0.07 %, which implies that it may need a different competitive strategy as even a very small decline in it revenue may erase profits and result in a net loss. This is way below average. In the same way, it shows Net Operating Margin of 0.11 %, which entails that for every 100 dollars of revenue, it generated $0.11 of operating income.
Determining Watsco's profitability involves analyzing its financial statements and using various financial metrics to determine if Watsco is a good buy. For example, gross profit margin measures Watsco's profitability after accounting for the cost of goods sold, while net profit margin measures profitability after accounting for all expenses. Other important metrics include return on assets, return on equity, and free cash flow. By reviewing multiple sources and metrics, you can gain a complete picture of Watsco's profitability and make more informed investment decisions.

Watsco's Earnings Breakdown by Geography

Evaluate Watsco's management efficiency

Watsco Inc has Return on Asset of 0.1053 % which means that on every $100 spent on assets, it made $0.1053 of profit. This is way below average. In the same way, it shows a return on shareholders' equity (ROE) of 0.2122 %, implying that it generated $0.2122 on every 100 dollars invested. Watsco's management efficiency ratios could be used to measure how well Watsco manages its routine affairs as well as how well it operates its assets and liabilities. At this time, Watsco's Return On Tangible Assets are very stable compared to the past year. As of the 24th of January 2025, Return On Assets is likely to grow to 0.14, while Return On Capital Employed is likely to drop 0.13. At this time, Watsco's Intangibles To Total Assets are very stable compared to the past year. As of the 24th of January 2025, Debt To Assets is likely to grow to 0.22, while Non Currrent Assets Other are likely to drop about 5.2 M.
Last ReportedProjected for Next Year
Book Value Per Share 64.45  67.68 
Tangible Book Value Per Share 47.82  50.21 
Enterprise Value Over EBITDA 17.19  18.05 
Price Book Value Ratio 6.32  6.63 
Enterprise Value Multiple 17.19  18.05 
Price Fair Value 6.32  6.63 
Enterprise Value14.3 B15 B
Leadership at Watsco emphasizes sustainable growth and financial prudence. Our analysis evaluates how these priorities impact the stock's performance in the market.
Dividend Yield
0.0217
Forward Dividend Yield
0.0217
Forward Dividend Rate
10.8
Beta
0.874

Basic technical analysis of Watsco Stock

As of the 24th of January, Watsco maintains the Mean Deviation of 1.26, downside deviation of 1.58, and insignificant Market Risk Adjusted Performance. Relative to fundamental indicators, the technical analysis model lets you check existing technical drivers of Watsco Inc, as well as the relationship between them.

Watsco's insider trading activities

Some recent studies suggest that insider trading raises the cost of capital for securities issuers and decreases overall economic growth. Trading by specific Watsco insiders, such as employees or executives, is commonly permitted as long as it does not rely on Watsco's material information that is not in the public domain. Local jurisdictions usually require such trading to be reported in order to monitor insider transactions. In many U.S. states, trading conducted by corporate officers, key employees, directors, or significant shareholders must be reported to the regulator or publicly disclosed, usually within a few business days of the trade. In these cases Watsco insiders are required to file a Form 4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) when buying or selling shares of their own companies.

Watsco's Outstanding Corporate Bonds

Watsco issues bonds to finance its operations. Corporate bonds make up one of the largest components of the U.S. bond market, which is considered the world's largest securities market. Watsco Inc uses the proceeds from bond sales for a wide variety of purposes, including financing ongoing mergers and acquisitions, buying new equipment, investing in research and development, buying back their own stock, paying dividends to shareholders, and even refinancing existing debt. Most Watsco bonds can be classified according to their maturity, which is the date when Watsco Inc has to pay back the principal to investors. Maturities can be short-term, medium-term, or long-term (more than ten years). Longer-term bonds usually offer higher interest rates but may entail additional risks.

Understand Watsco's technical and predictive indicators

Using predictive indicators to make investment decisions involves analyzing Watsco's various financial and market-based factors to help forecast future trends and identify investment opportunities. Select the indicators that are most relevant to your investment strategy. Each indicator has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it's essential to combine multiple indicators to get a more comprehensive view of the market and reduce the risk of making poor decisions based on limited data.

Consider Watsco's intraday indicators

Watsco intraday indicators are useful technical analysis tools used by many experienced traders. Just like the conventional technical analysis, daily indicators help intraday investors to analyze the price movement with the timing of Watsco stock daily movement. By combining multiple daily indicators into a single trading strategy, you can limit your risk while still earning strong returns on your managed positions.

Watsco Corporate Filings

F5
10th of January 2025
The annual filing required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from company insiders or beneficial owners
ViewVerify
F4
18th of December 2024
The report filed by a party regarding the acquisition or disposition of a company's common stock, as well as derivative securities such as options, warrants, and convertible securities
ViewVerify
8K
15th of November 2024
Report filed with the SEC to announce major events that shareholders should know about
ViewVerify
13A
8th of November 2024
An amended filing to the original Schedule 13G
ViewVerify
Watsco time-series forecasting models is one of many Watsco's stock analysis techniques aimed to predict future share value based on previously observed values. Time-series forecasting models ae widely used for non-stationary data. Non-stationary data are called the data whose statistical properties e.g. the mean and standard deviation are not constant over time but instead, these metrics vary over time. These non-stationary Watsco's historical data is usually called time-series. Some empirical experimentation suggests that the statistical forecasting models outperform the models based exclusively on fundamental analysis to predict the direction of the market movement and maximize returns from investment trading.

Watsco Stock media impact

Far too much social signal, news, headlines, and media speculation about Watsco that are available to investors today. That information is available publicly through Watsco media outlets and privately through word of mouth or via Watsco internal channels. However, regardless of the origin, that massive amount of Watsco data is challenging to quantify into actionable patterns, especially for investors that are not very sophisticated with ever-evolving tools and techniques used in the investment management field.
A primary focus of Watsco news analysis is to determine if its current price reflects all relevant headlines and social signals impacting the current market conditions. A news analyst typically looks at the history of Watsco relative headlines and hype rather than examining external drivers such as technical or fundamental data. It is believed that price action tends to repeat itself due to investors' collective, patterned thinking related to Watsco's headlines and news coverage data. This data is often completely overlooked or insufficiently analyzed for actionable insights to drive Watsco alpha.

Watsco Sentiment by Major News Outlets

Investor sentiment, mood or attitude towards Watsco can have a significant impact on its stock price or the market as a whole. This sentiment can be positive or negative, and various factors, such as economic indicators, news events, or market trends, can influence it. When investor sentiment is positive, investors are more likely to buy stocks, increasing demand and increasing the stock price. Positive investor sentiment can be driven by good news about the company or the broader market, such as solid earnings reports or positive economic data.
Note that negative investor sentiment can cause investors to sell stocks, leading to a decrease in demand and a drop in the stock price. Negative sentiment can be driven by factors such as poor earnings reports, negative news about the company or industry, or broader economic concerns. It's important to note that investor sentiment is just one of many factors that can affect stock prices. Other factors, such as company performance, industry trends, and global economic conditions, can also play a significant role in determining the value of a stock.

Watsco Inc Historical Investor Sentiment

Investor biases related to Watsco's public news can be used to forecast risks associated with an investment in Watsco. The trend in average sentiment can be used to explain how an investor holding Watsco can time the market purely based on public headlines and social activities around Watsco Inc. Please note that most equities that are difficult to arbitrage are affected by market sentiment the most.
Watsco's market sentiment shows the aggregated news analyzed to detect positive and negative mentions from the text and comments. The data is normalized to provide daily scores for Watsco and other traded tickers. The bigger the bubble, the more accurate the estimated score. Higher bars for a given day show more participation in the average Watsco news discussions. The higher the estimate score, the more favorable the investor's outlook on Watsco.

Watsco Corporate Directors

Aaron NahmadVP of Strategy and Innovation, Director of Global Bus. Devel., Director and Member of Nominating and Strategy CommitteeProfile
Steven RubinIndependent DirectorProfile
J CusterIndependent DirectorProfile
Denise DickinsLead Independent DirectorProfile

Already Invested in Watsco Inc?

The danger of trading Watsco Inc is mainly related to its market volatility and Company specific events. As an investor, you must understand the concept of risk-adjusted return before you start trading. The most common way to measure the risk of Watsco is by using the Sharpe ratio. The ratio expresses how much excess return you acquire for the extra volatility you endure for holding a more risker asset than Watsco. The Sharpe ratio is calculated by using standard deviation and excess return to determine reward per unit of risk. To understand how volatile Watsco Inc is, you must compare it to a benchmark. Traditionally, the risk-free rate of return is the rate of return on the shortest-dated U.S. Treasury, such as a 3-year bond.
When determining whether Watsco Inc offers a strong return on investment in its stock, a comprehensive analysis is essential. The process typically begins with a thorough review of Watsco's financial statements, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements, to assess its financial health. Key financial ratios are used to gauge profitability, efficiency, and growth potential of Watsco Inc Stock. Outlined below are crucial reports that will aid in making a well-informed decision on Watsco Inc Stock:
Check out Your Current Watchlist to better understand how to build diversified portfolios, which includes a position in Watsco Inc. Also, note that the market value of any company could be closely tied with the direction of predictive economic indicators such as signals in state.
You can also try the Stocks Directory module to find actively traded stocks across global markets.
Is Trading Companies & Distributors space expected to grow? Or is there an opportunity to expand the business' product line in the future? Factors like these will boost the valuation of Watsco. If investors know Watsco will grow in the future, the company's valuation will be higher. The financial industry is built on trying to define current growth potential and future valuation accurately. All the valuation information about Watsco listed above have to be considered, but the key to understanding future value is determining which factors weigh more heavily than others.
Quarterly Earnings Growth
(0.03)
Dividend Share
10.3
Earnings Share
13
Revenue Per Share
200.984
Quarterly Revenue Growth
0.016
The market value of Watsco Inc is measured differently than its book value, which is the value of Watsco that is recorded on the company's balance sheet. Investors also form their own opinion of Watsco's value that differs from its market value or its book value, called intrinsic value, which is Watsco's true underlying value. Investors use various methods to calculate intrinsic value and buy a stock when its market value falls below its intrinsic value. Because Watsco's market value can be influenced by many factors that don't directly affect Watsco's underlying business (such as a pandemic or basic market pessimism), market value can vary widely from intrinsic value.
In summary, please note that there is a difference between Watsco's value and its price, as these two are different measures arrived at by various means. Investors typically determine if Watsco is a good investment by looking at such factors as earnings, sales, fundamental and technical indicators, competition as well as analyst projections. However, Watsco's price is the amount at which it trades on the open market and represents the number that a seller and buyer find agreeable to each party.