Watsco (WSO) Outperformed Despite a Challenging Environment

Watsco (WSO) Outperformed Despite a Challenging Environment Soumya Eswaran Wed, May 6, 2026 at 9:14 PM GMT+7 3 min read WSO WSO-B Conestoga Capital Advisors, an asset management company, released its first-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter is available to download here. The first quarter of 2026 started with optimism about the domestic economy and attractive small-cap valuations, but it was affected by volatility due to geopolitical unrest in the Middle East and shifting expectations regarding interest rates. This unrest drove up energy prices and created a cautious global market. Energy, Basic Materials, and Industrials performed well, while software companies faced challenges due to AI disruption concerns. Market sensitivity to geopolitical events, energy prices, and inflation remains high. The Conestoga Smid Cap Composite fell 10.24% net-of-fees, underperforming the Russell 2500 Growth Index’s -3.52% return. The decline was driven by negative stock selection and sector/industry-specific headwinds, notably within Technology, Industrials, and Health Care sectors. In addition, please check the Strategy’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.

In its first-quarter 2026 investor letter, Conestoga Capital Advisors highlighted Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) as a leading contributor. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) is a leading distributor of air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration equipment, and related parts and supplies. On May 5, 2026, Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) closed at $420.68 per share. One-month return of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) was 10.35%, and its shares lost 8.17% over the past 52 weeks. Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) has a market capitalization of $17.10 billion.

Conestoga Capital Advisors stated the following regarding Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) in its Q1 2026 investor letter: