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W.W. Grainger

GWW
64
Industrial - Distribution · Industrials
Also trades as: 0IZI.L
Winston Score
64
Winston is curious
A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Good
Growth
Good
Cash Flow
Strong
Stability
Exceptional
Valuation
Good
Dividends
Good

Winston Score History

The full picture

W.W. Grainger sells maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) supplies to businesses. Think of it as a giant hardware and industrial supply store for companies — selling things like safety equipment, tools, motors, lighting, and cleaning products. Its main customers are factories, hospitals, schools, contractors, and government agencies across North America.

Grainger makes money by selling products directly to business customers, either through its website, catalogs, or sales representatives. It operates primarily in the United States and Canada, with a growing online business in Japan through its subsidiary MonotaRO. With over one million products available and deep relationships with large institutional buyers, Grainger benefits from the sheer convenience and reliability it offers customers who need supplies fast. The key growth driver is continued expansion of its digital sales channels and its "endless assortment" model, which targets smaller businesses through its Zoro brand — though competition from Amazon Business remains a real and growing threat.

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Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+10.3% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+19.1% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady EPS growth

Insider Activity

8.7%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$589M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

→ Burn rate stable

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth + cash flow

W.W. Grainger is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 10%. The Winston Score doesn't fully credit this transition from "burner" to "earner."

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
39.5%
Modest — 39.5% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
16.1%
Healthy — 16.1% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
42.0%
Exceptional — 42.0% return on capital

ROIC above 25%. Every dollar invested in the business earns more than 25 cents back per year.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+7.8%
Steady sales growth (+7.8% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
-1.0%
Earnings shrinking (-1.0% YoY)

Slight earnings drop. Typical near a cyclical low.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
6/8 quarters
Earnings grew in most of the last 8 quarters

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
116%
Turns 116% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
8.0%
Modest free cash flow (8.0%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.58
Conservative — low debt load (0.58)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
33.89x
Comfortably covers interest (33.9x)

Interest coverage above 8. Profits cover interest many times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
33.4x
no trend
Pricey — P/E 33.4

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+8.3
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (33.4 → 25.1)

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
0.73%
no trend
Small dividend — 0.73% yield

Modest yield. The bulk of any return needs to come from price appreciation.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+10.2%
no trend
Dividend growing fast (10.2% YoY)

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