BEN vs WSO Comparison

Franklin Resources provides investment services for individual and institutional investors. At the end of July 2025, Franklin had $1.617 trillion in managed assets, composed primarily of equity (41%), fixed-income (27%), multi-asset/balanced (11%) funds, alternatives (16%) and money market funds (5%). Distribution tends to be weighted between retail investors (56% of AUM) and institutional accounts (41%), with high-net-worth clients accounting for the remainder. Franklin is one of the more global of the US-based asset managers we cover, with 31% of its assets under management invested in global/international strategies and just as much sourced from clients domiciled outside the United States.

Watsco is the largest HVAC and refrigeration products distributor in North America with approximately 13% market share. The company primarily operates in the United States (90% of revenue) with significant exposure in the Sunbelt states. Watsco also has operations in Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The company's customer base comprises more than 120,000 dealers and contractors serving the replacement and new-construction HVAC/R markets for residential and light-commercial applications. As much as 20% of residential HVAC units are distributed through Watsco in any given year. Revenue is approximately 75%-80% residential HVAC and 20%-25% commercial, with relatively small exposure to more complex "applied" solutions.