W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW)
W.W. Grainger is a massive American business-to-business distributor that supplies everything from safety gear and tools to cleaning supplies for workplaces.
Is W.W. Grainger, Inc. a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: W.W. Grainger is a massive American business-to-business distributor that supplies everything from safety gear and tools to cleaning supplies for workplaces.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Dominance in the B2B e-commerce space continues to grow.
Long-term structural decline in traditional manufacturing.
What does W.W. Grainger, Inc. do?
Think of Grainger as the ultimate 'behind-the-scenes' shop for businesses, keeping factories, hospitals, and offices running by delivering millions of essential maintenance and repair parts. Buying products in bulk and reselling them to other companies, often via a sophisticated logistics network that delivers incredibly quickly, is where the profits come from. Since their fortunes track how busy their business customers are, watch how well they manage costs and inventory as the wider economy shifts.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on momentum and income, and weakest on value.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 0.7% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 10% over the year
- !High P/E of 36 - big growth is already priced in
- ✓Strong return on shareholder money (ROE 46%)
- Momentum screens high (81/100)
- A dominant market position in the industrial supply sector
- Impressive ability to generate profit from shareholder capital
- A vast and reliable logistics network that is hard for rivals to replicate
- Value screens low (27/100)
- Economic downturns leading to reduced spending by business customers
- Rising competition from large-scale online retailers
- Potential supply chain disruptions affecting inventory availability
What do W.W. Grainger, Inc.'s numbers mean?
How much money does W.W. Grainger, Inc. make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does W.W. Grainger, Inc. pay a dividend?
Yes - W.W. Grainger, Inc. currently pays a dividend of about 0.7% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
When does W.W. Grainger, Inc. report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
W.W. Grainger, Inc. is next scheduled to report on about 2026-08-04 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-07 | $10.21 | $11.65 | Beat +14% |
| 2026-02-03 | $9.46 | $9.44 | In line |
| 2025-10-31 | $9.95 | $10.21 | Beat +3% |
| 2025-08-01 | $10.07 | $9.97 | Missed -1% |
| 2025-05-01 | $9.51 | $9.86 | Beat +4% |
| 2025-01-31 | $9.74 | $9.71 | In line |
Across the last 6 quarters here, W.W. Grainger, Inc. came in ahead of what analysts expected 3 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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Masco CorporationWhat are the scenarios for W.W. Grainger, Inc.?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of W.W. Grainger, Inc.?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- A dominant market position in the industrial supply sector
- Impressive ability to generate profit from shareholder capital
- A vast and reliable logistics network that is hard for rivals to replicate
- The current share price reflects high expectations for future growth
- A relatively low dividend yield compared to other mature industrial firms
- High reliance on the health of the broader industrial economy
- Economic downturns leading to reduced spending by business customers
- Rising competition from large-scale online retailers
- Potential supply chain disruptions affecting inventory availability
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A significant and sustained drop in the company's return on equity
- A major loss of market share to new digital-first competitors
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.