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NVT vs. WSO.B: nVent Electric vs. Watsco Stock Comparison

How do nVent Electric (NVT) 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

nVent Electric (NVT) and Watsco (WSO.B) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but NVT is classified in Electrical Equipment while WSO.B is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Company profile comparison for nVent Electric (NVT) and Watsco (WSO.B)
Profile ItemNVTWSO.B
NamenVent Electric plcWatsco Inc. Class B Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited KingdomUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryElectrical EquipmentTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryElectrical Components & EquipmentTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization17.16 billion USD12.92 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateApril 24, 2018March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NVT
WSO.B
GSPC
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nVent Electric (NVT) 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 nVent Electric (NVT) and Watsco (WSO.B). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for nVent Electric (NVT) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricNVTWSO.B
Total Return (1Y)2.86%-11.21%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)32.72%-3.05%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)26.96%4.30%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NVT
WSO.B
GSPC
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nVent Electric (NVT) 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 nVent Electric (NVT) and Watsco (WSO.B). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

nVent Electric (NVT) has an aggressive beta of 1.41, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Watsco (WSO.B) is defensive at 0.64 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

nVent Electric (NVT) trades around 2.54M 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 nVent Electric (NVT) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricNVTWSO.B
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)53.94%40.28%
Beta (5Y)1.410.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)-46.67%-43.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.54M74

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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NVT 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 nVent Electric (NVT) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricNVTWSO.B
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.03-0.38
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.03-0.57

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both nVent Electric (NVT) at 17.42% 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.

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

17.42%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
NVT
17.42%
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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nVent Electric (NVT) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

nVent Electric (NVT) at 12.83% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Watsco (WSO.B) at 6.31%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

12.83%

Max
27.47%
NVT
12.83%
Q3
12.10%
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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nVent Electric (NVT) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

nVent Electric (NVT) at 18.75% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Watsco (WSO.B) at 10.14%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

18.75%

Max
36.60%
NVT
18.75%
Q3
18.33%
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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nVent Electric (NVT) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for nVent Electric (NVT) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricNVTWSO.B
ROE (TTM)17.42%16.21%
ROA (TTM)7.88%8.27%
Net Margin (TTM)12.83%6.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)18.75%10.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)36.17%27.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

nVent Electric (NVT) at 29.51% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Watsco (WSO.B) at -4.98% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

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nVent Electric (NVT) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

nVent Electric (NVT) at 118.78% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Watsco (WSO.B) at -7.47%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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nVent Electric (NVT) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for nVent Electric (NVT) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricNVTWSO.B
Revenue Growth (YoY)29.51%-4.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)19.26%-0.16%
EPS Growth (YoY)118.78%-7.47%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)21.89%-6.89%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

nVent Electric (NVT) at 2.40 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.

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

2.40

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
NVT
2.40
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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nVent Electric (NVT) 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 industry quartile, while nVent Electric (NVT) at 0.57 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

0.57

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
NVT
0.57
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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nVent Electric (NVT) 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 nVent Electric (NVT) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricNVTWSO.B
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.403.15
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.570.16
Net Debt / EBITDA1.05-0.14

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

nVent Electric (NVT) at 0.84% 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.

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

0.84%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
NVT
0.84%
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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nVent Electric (NVT) 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 nVent Electric (NVT) reports 20.15%, ranking against industry peers normally.

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

20.15%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
NVT
20.15%
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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nVent Electric (NVT) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for nVent Electric (NVT) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricNVTWSO.B
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.84%4.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)20.15%109.66%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both nVent Electric (NVT) at 25.78 and Watsco (WSO.B) at 27.26 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

25.78

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
NVT
25.78
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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nVent Electric (NVT) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both nVent Electric (NVT) at 3.24 and Watsco (WSO.B) at 1.74 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

3.24

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
NVT
3.24
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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nVent Electric (NVT) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both nVent Electric (NVT) at 4.17 and Watsco (WSO.B) at 3.99 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

4.17

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
NVT
4.17
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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nVent Electric (NVT) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for nVent Electric (NVT) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricNVTWSO.B
P/E Ratio (TTM)25.7827.26
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.241.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)4.173.99
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.93%3.50%