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Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Industrial Distribution

Core & Main vs Watsco: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Core & Main holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across valuation and growth. Watsco still has the edge on profitability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

The clearest separation starts in valuation, but growth adds another real layer to the result.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Industrial Distribution

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. CNM and WSO share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Core & Main and Watsco each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
CNM
Core & Main, Inc.
46
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
WSO
Watsco, Inc.
40
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: CNM vs WSO Profitability 33 44 Stability 36 40 Valuation 75 53 Growth 31 13 CNM WSO
Gap Ranking
#1 Valuation +22
#2 Growth +18
#3 Profitability +11
#4 Stability +4
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for CNM and WSO Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer CNMWSO Relative valuation Structural strength

The two profiles are relatively close, but the price setup still leans toward Core & Main, Inc..

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where CNM and WSO each sit in their own 4.8-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 4.8-YEAR HISTORY CNM Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 3 pct gap WSO Neutral · near norm 0th 50th 100th 72nd 69th
CNM (72nd percentile) and WSO (69th percentile) both sit in the upper-middle of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Valuation
Both rank well on valuation, but Core & Main, Inc. still sits higher.
Growth
Neither side looks especially strong on growth, though Core & Main, Inc. still ranks somewhat higher.
Valuation — Dominant Gap
CNM
75
WSO
53
Gap+22in favour of CNM

The multiple-based pricing edge comes from a forward P/E that is 10.1 turns lower.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Capital efficiency also runs the other way, with a 11.2-point ROIC edge acting as a real counterforce.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both valuation and growth — though profitability still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the CNM vs WSO comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar valuation-and-growth comparisons

Explore how CNM and WSO each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.