Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Cuts Position in Watsco, Inc. $WSO

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its position in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 68.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,864 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 16,777 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Watsco were worth $2,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WSO. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich acquired a new position in Watsco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,354,000. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft acquired a new position in Watsco during the fourth quarter worth $466,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Watsco by 315.6% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,575 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 1,196 shares in the last quarter. Freemont Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Watsco by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. Freemont Management S.A. now owns 1,200 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $404,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Watsco by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 608 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $202,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Watsco Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE WSO opened at $374.58 on Monday. Watsco, Inc. has a 52-week low of $323.05 and a 52-week high of $494.94. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $399.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $381.24. The firm has a market cap of $15.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.09 and a beta of 1.12.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The construction company reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. Watsco had a return on equity of 15.31% and a net margin of 6.85%.The business’s revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.93 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Watsco, Inc. will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 16th were issued a $3.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 16th. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is an increase from Watsco’s previous quarterly dividend of $3.00. Watsco’s payout ratio is 109.54%.

Watsco News Roundup

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.