WESCO International (WCC): Among Unknown Billionaire Phill Gross' Stock Picks with Huge Upside Potential

We recently published a list of Unknown Billionaire Phill Gross’ 10 Stock Picks with Huge Upside Potential. In this article, we are going to take a look at where WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC) stands against unknown billionaire Phill Gross’ other stock picks with huge upside potential.

Phillip “Phill” Gross is a seasoned investor and influential figure in the world of institutional asset management, best known as the Co-founder, Managing Director, and Healthcare Portfolio Manager of Adage Capital Management. While Robert Atchinson, his longtime collaborator and fellow Co-founder, serves as the firm’s Portfolio Manager, Gross’s leadership and strategic vision have played a foundational role in shaping Adage’s long-term investment philosophy and reputation. The two met in the mid-1980s while working as Harvard University’s endowment analysts. Their professional synergy led them to leave Harvard Management Company in the 1990s, following public scrutiny over performance-based bonuses. With the backing of an initial $1.8 billion investment from Harvard and an agreement for the university to receive 10% of the firm’s earnings, they launched Adage Capital Management in 2001 alongside an 18-person team.

Under Gross’s co-leadership, Adage has become a key player in managing assets for prominent institutional clients such as Harvard University, Dartmouth College, Northwestern University, the American Red Cross, and the Getty Foundation. The firm specializes in long/short equity strategies guided by fundamental analysis and engages in risk arbitrage and event-driven opportunities when market conditions are favourable. Adage Capital Management and its predecessor, the Select Equity Group at Harvard Management Company, have consistently outperformed broader market benchmarks by an average of 3.5% over the past 15 years. This is a testament to the disciplined, research-driven investment framework that Gross helped instill.

Gross himself brings a deep background in healthcare investing, having served for nearly two decades at Harvard Management Company in various roles, including Healthcare and Retail Analyst, Equity Research Director, and Partner. His academic credentials include a B.S. in finance and economics (1982) and an M.S. in investments (1983), both from the University of Wisconsin. He remains actively engaged with his alma mater, serving on the advisory boards of the Steve Hawk Center for Applied Securities Analysis and the Nicholas Center for Applied Corporate Finance. In recognition of his professional accomplishments and ongoing contributions, Gross received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Wisconsin Business School in 2006.

Beyond finance, Gross is a committed philanthropist. He co-founded Strategic Grant Partners, an organization focused on driving systemic change in education and family services throughout Massachusetts. He also serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for Youth Enrichment Services, a nonprofit that provides urban youth with outdoor recreational experiences. In addition, he holds board positions with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, where he is Vice-Chair of the Investment Committee, and with the T2 Foundation.

Adage Capital Management’s latest 13F filing for Q4 2024 reported $57.19 billion in managed securities, with the top 10 holdings comprising 31.7% of the total portfolio, demonstrating a strategic yet diversified approach to asset allocation. While Atchinson oversees day-to-day portfolio management, Gross’s enduring influence and expertise, particularly in healthcare investing, continue to shape the firm’s long-term success and institutional credibility.

Our Methodology

We searched through Adage Capital Management’s Q4 2024 13F filings to identify unknown billionaire Phill Gross’ stock picks with the highest upside potential. We compiled the equities with upside potential higher than 34% at the time of writing this article and discussed why they stood out as strong potential investments. Finally, we ranked the stocks based on the ascending order of their upside potential. To assist readers with more context, we mentioned the hedge fund sentiment around each stock using data from 1,009 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 363.5% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 208 percentage points (see more details here).

WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders as of Q4: 62

Adage Capital Management’s Equity Stake: $247.15 Million 

Upside Potential as of May 2: 37.97%

WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC), a publicly traded American holding company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the parent company of Wesco Distribution. It plays a crucial role in the global electrical distribution and services industry, operating through three primary segments: Electrical & Electronic Solutions, Communications & Security Solutions, and Utility & Broadband Solutions. With a network of nearly 800 branches and a customer base exceeding 150,000 worldwide, Wesco leverages its expansive global footprint to maintain operational flexibility and efficiency, which are essential to staying competitive in a dynamic market environment.

On May 1, 2025, WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC) released its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025. The company reported adjusted earnings of $2.21 per share, representing a 3.9% decline from the previous year’s first quarter. Despite this slight dip in earnings, Wesco managed to surpass Wall Street expectations, beating the consensus estimate by 2.10%. Total net sales for the quarter stood at $5.34 billion, reflecting a modest 0.1% decrease compared to the prior year, primarily due to persistent challenges in the utility business segment.

While the overall net sales showed a minor year-over-year decline, WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC) highlighted a 5.6% increase in organic sales, indicating solid performance in its core operations outside of the utility segment. This growth in organic sales demonstrates the resilience and adaptability of Wesco’s diversified business model, even amid sector-specific headwinds. The company’s consistent performance across multiple product and service categories underscores its strategic positioning and reinforces its long-term growth prospects in both mature and emerging markets.

With an upside potential of 37.97% and a price target of $209.75 as of May 2, WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC) ranks seventh in the list of Phill Gross’ stock picks with huge upside potential.

Overall, WCC ranks 7th on our list of unknown billionaire Phill Gross’ stock picks with huge upside potential. While we acknowledge the potential of these stock picks, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than WCC but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.