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DE vs. WSO.B: Deere vs. Watsco Stock Comparison

How do Deere (DE) and Watsco (WSO.B) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Deere (DE) and Watsco (WSO.B) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but DE is classified in Machinery while WSO.B is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Company profile comparison for Deere (DE) and Watsco (WSO.B)
Profile ItemDEWSO.B
NameDeere & CompanyWatsco Inc. Class B Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryMachineryTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryAgricultural & Farm MachineryTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization181.09 billion USD12.92 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJune 1, 1972March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DE
WSO.B
GSPC
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Deere (DE) vs. Watsco (WSO.B), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Deere (DE) and Watsco (WSO.B). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Deere (DE) and Watsco (WSO.B). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Deere (DE) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricDEWSO.B
Total Return (1Y)49.27%-11.21%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.81%-3.05%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)15.67%4.30%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DE
WSO.B
GSPC
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Deere (DE) vs. Watsco (WSO.B), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Deere (DE) and Watsco (WSO.B). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Deere (DE) trades around 1.23M shares per day on average, while Watsco (WSO.B) sees only 74 — a volume gap that can matter for position sizing, exit liquidity, and order execution.

Risk profile metrics for Deere (DE) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricDEWSO.B
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)33.18%40.28%
Beta (5Y)0.880.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)-33.81%-43.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.23M74

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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DE and WSO.B are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Deere (DE) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricDEWSO.B
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.36-0.38
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.26-0.57

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Deere (DE) at 18.24% and Watsco (WSO.B) at 16.21% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

18.24%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
DE
18.24%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

16.21%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
WSO.B
16.21%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Deere (DE) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Deere (DE) at 10.17% and Watsco (WSO.B) at 6.31% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

10.17%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
DE
10.17%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

6.31%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
WSO.B
6.31%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Deere (DE) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Deere (DE) at 13.37% and Watsco (WSO.B) at 10.14% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

13.37%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
DE
13.37%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

10.14%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
WSO.B
10.14%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Deere (DE) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Deere (DE) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricDEWSO.B
ROE (TTM)18.24%16.21%
ROA (TTM)3.76%8.27%
Net Margin (TTM)10.17%6.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)13.37%10.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)25.18%27.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Deere (DE) at -11.59% and Watsco (WSO.B) at -4.98% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

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Deere (DE) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Watsco (WSO.B) at -7.47% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Deere (DE) at -27.79% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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Deere (DE) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Deere (DE) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricDEWSO.B
Revenue Growth (YoY)-11.59%-4.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-4.50%-0.16%
EPS Growth (YoY)-27.79%-7.47%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-7.37%-6.89%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Deere (DE) at 2.13 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Watsco (WSO.B) at 3.15 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

2.13

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
DE
2.13
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

3.15

Max
5.22
WSO.B
3.15
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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Deere (DE) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 0.16 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while Deere (DE) at 2.30 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

2.30

Max
2.33
DE
2.30
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

0.16

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
WSO.B
0.16
Min
0.00
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Deere (DE) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Deere (DE) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricDEWSO.B
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.133.15
Debt / Equity (MRQ)2.300.16
Net Debt / EBITDA6.70-0.14

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Deere (DE) at 0.98% pays an industry-typical yield; Watsco (WSO.B) at 4.02% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

0.98%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
DE
0.98%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

4.02%

WSO.B
4.02%
Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Deere (DE) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Watsco (WSO.B) reports payout ratio above 100% at 109.66%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Deere (DE) reports 36.02%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

36.02%

Max
67.39%
DE
36.02%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

109.66%

WSO.B
109.66%
Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Deere (DE) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Deere (DE) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricDEWSO.B
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.98%4.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)36.02%109.66%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 27.26 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Deere (DE) at 37.33 sits in the richer quartile — DE needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

37.33

Max
59.38
DE
37.33
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

27.26

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
WSO.B
27.26
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Deere (DE) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 1.74 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Deere (DE) at 3.78 sits in the pricier quartile — DE costs more per dollar of sales.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

3.78

Max
7.54
DE
3.78
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

1.74

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
WSO.B
1.74
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Deere (DE) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 3.99 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Deere (DE) at 6.47 carries an above-peer premium to book — DE is pricier on assets.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

6.47

Max
9.66
DE
6.47
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

3.99

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
WSO.B
3.99
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Deere (DE) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Deere (DE) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricDEWSO.B
P/E Ratio (TTM)37.3327.26
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.781.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.473.99
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.49%3.50%