Seek Returns

RKLB vs. WSO.B: Rocket Lab vs. Watsco Stock Comparison

How do Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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

Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Watsco (WSO.B) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but RKLB is classified in Aerospace & Defense while WSO.B is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Watsco (WSO.B) has more than two decades of public-market history since March 17, 1980, whereas Rocket Lab (RKLB) listed on November 24, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Watsco (WSO.B)
Profile ItemRKLBWSO.B
NameRocket Lab CorporationWatsco Inc. Class B Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryAerospace & DefenseTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryAerospace & DefenseTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization33.93 billion USD12.92 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateNovember 24, 2020March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

RKLB
WSO.B
GSPC
Loading price history…
Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Watsco (WSO.B). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Watsco (WSO.B). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricRKLBWSO.B
Total Return (1Y)12.96%-11.21%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)138.86%-3.05%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)31.49%4.30%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

RKLB
WSO.B
GSPC
Loading price history…
Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Watsco (WSO.B). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Rocket Lab (RKLB) has a highly aggressive beta of 3.14, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Watsco (WSO.B) is defensive at 0.64 and tends to be less market-sensitive — a wide gap in beta profiles.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) is heavily traded at around 19.51M shares per day, whereas Watsco (WSO.B) is thinly traded at only 74 — larger orders in the latter may face more price impact or wider spreads, depending on market conditions.

Risk profile metrics for Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricRKLBWSO.B
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)95.71%40.28%
Beta (5Y)3.140.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)-78.32%-43.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)19.51M74

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
RKLB 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 Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricRKLBWSO.B
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.09-0.38
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.14-0.57

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative ROE of -7.92%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Watsco (WSO.B) reports 16.21%, ranking against industry peers normally.

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-7.92%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
RKLB
-7.92%
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%
Loading chart…
Rocket Lab (RKLB) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative net margin of -21.51%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Watsco (WSO.B) reports 6.31%, ranking against industry peers normally.

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-21.51%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
RKLB
-21.51%

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%
Loading chart…
Rocket Lab (RKLB) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative operating margin of -24.57%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Watsco (WSO.B) reports 10.14%, ranking against industry peers normally.

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-24.57%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
RKLB
-24.57%

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%
Loading chart…
Rocket Lab (RKLB) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricRKLBWSO.B
ROE (TTM)-7.92%16.21%
ROA (TTM)-4.62%8.27%
Net Margin (TTM)-21.51%6.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)-24.57%10.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)37.26%27.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 37.96% 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.

Loading chart…
Rocket Lab (RKLB) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Watsco (WSO.B) reports EPS growth of -7.47%, ranked against its industry; Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Loading chart…
Rocket Lab (RKLB) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricRKLBWSO.B
Revenue Growth (YoY)37.96%-4.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)41.82%-0.16%
EPS Growth (YoY)---7.47%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)---6.89%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 5.48 and Watsco (WSO.B) at 3.15 post current ratio above their industries’ typical mid-ranges — short-term liquidity appears comfortable, though unusually high readings can point to idle current assets.

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

5.48

RKLB
5.48
Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
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
Loading chart…
Rocket Lab (RKLB) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 0.04 and Watsco (WSO.B) at 0.16 keep leverage in the lower quartile of their industries, with less balance-sheet debt relative to equity than most peers.

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.04

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
RKLB
0.04
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
Loading chart…
Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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 Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricRKLBWSO.B
Current Ratio (MRQ)5.483.15
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.040.16
Net Debt / EBITDA---0.14

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Watsco (WSO.B) reports a yield of 4.02%, ranking against industry peers normally.

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
RKLB
0.00%
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%
Loading chart…
Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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; Rocket Lab (RKLB) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%).

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
RKLB
0.00%
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%
Loading chart…
Rocket Lab (RKLB) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricRKLBWSO.B
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%4.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%109.66%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Watsco (WSO.B) trades at 27.26 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no P/E ratio this period.

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

--

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
RKLB
--

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
Loading chart…
Rocket Lab (RKLB) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): RKLB does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; WSO.B is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 1.74 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 44.12 clears its benchmark range — RKLB looks notably rich on sales.

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

44.12

RKLB
44.12
Max
7.54
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
Loading chart…
Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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 Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 9.09 carries an above-peer premium to book — RKLB is pricier on assets.

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

9.09

Max
9.66
RKLB
9.09
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
Loading chart…
Rocket Lab (RKLB) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricRKLBWSO.B
P/E Ratio (TTM)--27.26
P/S Ratio (TTM)44.121.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)9.093.99
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-0.74%3.50%