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SYM vs. WSO.B: Symbotic vs. Watsco Stock Comparison

How do Symbotic (SYM) 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

Symbotic (SYM) and Watsco (WSO.B) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but SYM is classified in Machinery 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 Symbotic (SYM) listed on March 9, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Symbotic (SYM) and Watsco (WSO.B)
Profile ItemSYMWSO.B
NameSymbotic Inc. Class A Common StockWatsco Inc. Class B Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryMachineryTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & ComponentsTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization22.29 billion USD12.92 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateMarch 9, 2021March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

SYM
WSO.B
GSPC
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Symbotic (SYM) 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 Symbotic (SYM) and Watsco (WSO.B). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Symbotic (SYM) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricSYMWSO.B
Total Return (1Y)-44.66%-11.21%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)6.78%-3.05%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)30.90%4.30%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Symbotic (SYM) has a highly aggressive beta of 2.05, 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.

Symbotic (SYM) trades around 1.61M 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 Symbotic (SYM) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricSYMWSO.B
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)78.15%40.28%
Beta (5Y)2.050.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)-72.46%-43.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.61M74

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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SYM 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 Symbotic (SYM) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricSYMWSO.B
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.63-0.38
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.93-0.57

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Symbotic (SYM) at 4.39% 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.

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

4.39%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
SYM
4.39%
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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Symbotic (SYM) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 6.31% keeps about the industry-typical share of revenue as profit, while Symbotic (SYM) at 0.31% retains only a bottom-quartile share.

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.31%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
SYM
0.31%
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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Symbotic (SYM) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 10.14% runs core operations around its industry’s norm, while Symbotic (SYM) at 4.59% operates in the bottom quartile.

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

4.59%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
SYM
4.59%
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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Symbotic (SYM) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Symbotic (SYM) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricSYMWSO.B
ROE (TTM)4.39%16.21%
ROA (TTM)0.32%8.27%
Net Margin (TTM)0.31%6.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)4.59%10.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)21.27%27.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Symbotic (SYM) at 25.65% 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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Symbotic (SYM) 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; Symbotic (SYM) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Symbotic (SYM) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricSYMWSO.B
Revenue Growth (YoY)25.65%-4.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)55.87%-0.16%
EPS Growth (YoY)---7.47%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)---6.89%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 3.15 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Symbotic (SYM) at 1.33 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

1.33

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
SYM
1.33
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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Symbotic (SYM) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Symbotic (SYM) at 0.02 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.

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.02

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
SYM
0.02
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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Symbotic (SYM) 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 Symbotic (SYM) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricSYMWSO.B
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.333.15
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.020.16
Net Debt / EBITDA-30.44-0.14

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Symbotic (SYM) 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.

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
SYM
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%
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Symbotic (SYM) 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; Symbotic (SYM) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%).

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
SYM
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%
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Symbotic (SYM) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Symbotic (SYM) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricSYMWSO.B
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%4.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%109.66%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 27.26 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Symbotic (SYM) at 460.25 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for SYM’s trailing earnings.

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

460.25

SYM
460.25
Max
59.38
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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Symbotic (SYM) 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 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Symbotic (SYM) at 8.42 clears its benchmark range — SYM looks notably rich on sales.

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

8.42

SYM
8.42
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
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Symbotic (SYM) 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 Symbotic (SYM) at 6.70 carries an above-peer premium to book — SYM is pricier on assets.

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

6.70

Max
9.66
SYM
6.70
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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Symbotic (SYM) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Symbotic (SYM) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricSYMWSO.B
P/E Ratio (TTM)460.2527.26
P/S Ratio (TTM)8.421.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.703.99
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.46%3.50%