Markel Group Inc. Acquires 12,500 Shares of Watsco, Inc. $WSO

Markel Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 577,669 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,500 shares during the period. Watsco comprises 1.6% of Markel Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in Watsco were worth $194,646,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vantage Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 70.0% in the 4th quarter. Vantage Investment Partners LLC now owns 166,172 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $55,992,000 after acquiring an additional 68,442 shares in the last quarter. Texas Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in Watsco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $295,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in Watsco by 205.7% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 428 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions bought a new position in Watsco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $788,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in Watsco by 108.9% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 869 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $293,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Watsco News

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 Price Performance

WSO stock opened at $374.58 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $399.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $381.10. Watsco, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $323.05 and a fifty-two week high of $494.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.23 billion, a PE ratio of 31.09 and a beta of 1.12.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last released its 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. Watsco had a net margin of 6.85% and a return on equity of 15.31%. The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.93 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Watsco, Inc. will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 16th were issued a dividend of $3.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 16th. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from Watsco’s previous quarterly dividend of $3.00. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 109.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on WSO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Watsco from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Watsco from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Watsco from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of Watsco from $475.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Mizuho set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Watsco in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.