W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) Stock

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) is a Consumer Discretionary stock trading at $1311.75 (as of 2026-08-21), with a market capitalization of $61.78B and a trailing P/E of 30.9. Figures are sourced from first-party U.S. SEC EDGAR filings and market data.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. distributes maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) products and services in the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. It offers safety and security supplies, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance supplies, and metalworking and hand tools. It also offers inventory management and technical support services. The company serves businesses, corporations, government entities, and other institutions through sales and service representatives, and electronic and ecommerce channels. W.W. Grainger, Inc. was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Understand W.W. Grainger, Inc.: how it makes money

W.W. Grainger distributes maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) products and services for businesses and institutions, and it makes money by selling items like safety supplies, tools, pumps and plumbing equipment, and by supporting customers with services such as inventory management and technical support.

Grainger’s profit engine blends product distribution with value-added services (inventory management and technical support), delivered through its High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment operating segments.

Business quality (Solid): The company operates a large-scale MRO distribution business with additional service content, and its latest reported profitability shows strong gross margins and meaningful operating margins, but the available operating KPI is limited and the segment-level revenue split is not provided here.

Valuation: At 37× earnings, GWW trades 53% above the Wholesale average (24×). Note: one-time items can distort reported P/E.

Bull case

  • Service and support can add stickiness beyond product sales: The business description includes inventory management and technical support services, which suggests customer value is not only tied to purchasing MRO items.
  • Two-segment model matches different customer needs: Grainger reports through High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment, which can help balance higher-touch support with a broader product assortment approach.

Bear case

  • Earnings sensitivity to customer demand and purchasing volumes: Because Grainger’s revenue depends on selling MRO products and services to businesses, changes in maintenance activity or procurement behavior could pressure sales and operating performance.
  • Limited visibility into underlying operating drivers from the provided KPI set: The only provided operational KPI is labeled as 'High-touch segment non-recurring items', which may not directly reflect recurring demand or execution health.
Valuation — source: SEC EDGAR (first-party)
Price$1311.75
Market Cap$61.78B
P/E Ratio30.9
EV / EBITDA19.7
Price / Book13.69
Price / Sales3.22
FCF Yield5.0%
DCF Value (model)$790.38
DCF Upside vs Price-39.7%
Profitability & Growth — source: SEC EDGAR
Revenue (TTM)$17.94B
Net Margin9.5%
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.5%
EPS Growth (YoY)-8.7%
FCF Growth (YoY)-15.2%
Financial Health — source: SEC EDGAR
Altman Z-Score13.47 (safe)
Piotroski F-Score7/9 (strong)
Valuation vs Sector & Industry
Stock P/E30.9
Sector P/E (Consumer Discretionary)20.7
Industry P/E (Wholesale)24.0
vs Sector49.3%
vs Industry28.9%
Smart-Money Activity — SEC Form 4 / 13F / Congressional disclosures
Top Institutional HolderVANGUARD GROUP INC ($5.72B)
Institutional Holders Tracked10
Congressional Trades (recent)10
Company
SectorConsumer Discretionary
IndustryWholesale
CEODonald G. Macpherson
Employees23,500
CountryUS
IPO Date1973-02-21

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GWW earnings history · GWW institutional & insider holders · GWW KPIs & operating metrics · GWW financials · GWW investor presentations & press releases · GWW SEC filings · GWW peers · Congress trades · Insider trades · Short interest · Stock screener

Data as of 2026-08-21.

Figures sourced from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC EDGAR) filings and market data. Not personalized investment advice.