W.W. Grainger (GWW) Competitors

W.W. Grainger logo
$1,364.88 -0.53 (-0.04%)
Closing price 06/18/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$1,364.31 -0.57 (-0.04%)
As of 06/18/2026 06:07 PM Eastern
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GWW vs. FAST, AIT, AME, DOV, and GGG

Should you buy W.W. Grainger stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares W.W. Grainger with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with W.W. Grainger include Fastenal (FAST), Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT), AMETEK (AME), Dover (DOV), and Graco (GGG).

How does W.W. Grainger compare to Fastenal?

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) and Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) are both large-cap trading companies & distributors companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, earnings, profitability, media sentiment, institutional ownership, dividends and analyst recommendations.

W.W. Grainger has higher revenue and earnings than Fastenal. W.W. Grainger is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Fastenal, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
W.W. Grainger$17.94B3.59$1.71B$37.1836.71
Fastenal$8.20B6.43$1.26B$1.1440.27

Fastenal has a net margin of 15.39% compared to W.W. Grainger's net margin of 9.70%. W.W. Grainger's return on equity of 47.87% beat Fastenal's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
W.W. Grainger9.70% 47.87% 21.84%
Fastenal 15.39%33.25%25.49%

W.W. Grainger pays an annual dividend of $9.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. Fastenal pays an annual dividend of $0.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. W.W. Grainger pays out 26.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Fastenal pays out 84.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. W.W. Grainger has raised its dividend for 55 consecutive years and Fastenal has raised its dividend for 26 consecutive years.

80.7% of W.W. Grainger shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.4% of Fastenal shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.3% of W.W. Grainger shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Fastenal shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

In the previous week, W.W. Grainger had 15 more articles in the media than Fastenal. MarketBeat recorded 21 mentions for W.W. Grainger and 6 mentions for Fastenal. W.W. Grainger's average media sentiment score of 1.03 beat Fastenal's score of 0.11 indicating that W.W. Grainger is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
W.W. Grainger
14 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Fastenal
0 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus price target of $1,217.00, suggesting a potential downside of 10.83%. Fastenal has a consensus price target of $49.57, suggesting a potential upside of 7.98%. Given Fastenal's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Fastenal is more favorable than W.W. Grainger.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
W.W. Grainger
1 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.20
Fastenal
2 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.21

W.W. Grainger has a beta of 1.04, suggesting that its share price is 4% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Fastenal has a beta of 0.73, suggesting that its share price is 27% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

W.W. Grainger beats Fastenal on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does W.W. Grainger compare to Applied Industrial Technologies?

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) and Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT) are both large-cap industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, media sentiment, profitability and risk.

80.7% of W.W. Grainger shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.5% of Applied Industrial Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. 6.3% of W.W. Grainger shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.6% of Applied Industrial Technologies shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus price target of $1,217.00, indicating a potential downside of 10.83%. Applied Industrial Technologies has a consensus price target of $323.14, indicating a potential downside of 4.63%. Given Applied Industrial Technologies' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Applied Industrial Technologies is more favorable than W.W. Grainger.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
W.W. Grainger
1 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.20
Applied Industrial Technologies
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86

W.W. Grainger has a net margin of 9.70% compared to Applied Industrial Technologies' net margin of 8.34%. W.W. Grainger's return on equity of 47.87% beat Applied Industrial Technologies' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
W.W. Grainger9.70% 47.87% 21.84%
Applied Industrial Technologies 8.34%21.64%12.91%

In the previous week, W.W. Grainger had 14 more articles in the media than Applied Industrial Technologies. MarketBeat recorded 21 mentions for W.W. Grainger and 7 mentions for Applied Industrial Technologies. W.W. Grainger's average media sentiment score of 1.03 beat Applied Industrial Technologies' score of 0.92 indicating that W.W. Grainger is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
W.W. Grainger
14 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Applied Industrial Technologies
3 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

W.W. Grainger has higher revenue and earnings than Applied Industrial Technologies. Applied Industrial Technologies is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than W.W. Grainger, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
W.W. Grainger$17.94B3.59$1.71B$37.1836.71
Applied Industrial Technologies$4.84B2.59$392.99M$10.5932.00

W.W. Grainger has a beta of 1.04, suggesting that its stock price is 4% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Applied Industrial Technologies has a beta of 0.84, suggesting that its stock price is 16% less volatile than the broader market.

W.W. Grainger pays an annual dividend of $9.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. Applied Industrial Technologies pays an annual dividend of $2.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. W.W. Grainger pays out 26.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Applied Industrial Technologies pays out 19.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. W.W. Grainger has raised its dividend for 55 consecutive years and Applied Industrial Technologies has raised its dividend for 16 consecutive years. W.W. Grainger is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

W.W. Grainger beats Applied Industrial Technologies on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does W.W. Grainger compare to AMETEK?

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) and AMETEK (NYSE:AME) are related large-cap companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, risk, earnings and media sentiment.

W.W. Grainger has higher revenue and earnings than AMETEK. AMETEK is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than W.W. Grainger, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
W.W. Grainger$17.94B3.59$1.71B$37.1836.71
AMETEK$7.40B7.35$1.48B$6.6235.84

AMETEK has a net margin of 20.11% compared to W.W. Grainger's net margin of 9.70%. W.W. Grainger's return on equity of 47.87% beat AMETEK's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
W.W. Grainger9.70% 47.87% 21.84%
AMETEK 20.11%16.63%11.06%

In the previous week, W.W. Grainger and W.W. Grainger both had 21 articles in the media. AMETEK's average media sentiment score of 1.55 beat W.W. Grainger's score of 1.03 indicating that AMETEK is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
W.W. Grainger
14 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
AMETEK
18 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive

80.7% of W.W. Grainger shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.4% of AMETEK shares are held by institutional investors. 6.3% of W.W. Grainger shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of AMETEK shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

W.W. Grainger has a beta of 1.04, indicating that its stock price is 4% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, AMETEK has a beta of 1, indicating that its stock price has a similar volatility profile to the broader market.

W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus target price of $1,217.00, indicating a potential downside of 10.83%. AMETEK has a consensus target price of $253.57, indicating a potential upside of 6.87%. Given AMETEK's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe AMETEK is more favorable than W.W. Grainger.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
W.W. Grainger
1 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.20
AMETEK
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
9 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.73

W.W. Grainger pays an annual dividend of $9.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. AMETEK pays an annual dividend of $1.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. W.W. Grainger pays out 26.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. AMETEK pays out 20.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. W.W. Grainger has increased its dividend for 55 consecutive years and AMETEK has increased its dividend for 6 consecutive years. W.W. Grainger is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

W.W. Grainger beats AMETEK on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does W.W. Grainger compare to Dover?

Dover (NYSE:DOV) and W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) are both large-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, media sentiment, earnings, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, profitability and valuation.

In the previous week, W.W. Grainger had 17 more articles in the media than Dover. MarketBeat recorded 21 mentions for W.W. Grainger and 4 mentions for Dover. W.W. Grainger's average media sentiment score of 1.03 beat Dover's score of 0.83 indicating that W.W. Grainger is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Dover
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
W.W. Grainger
14 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Dover presently has a consensus price target of $239.85, indicating a potential upside of 7.25%. W.W. Grainger has a consensus price target of $1,217.00, indicating a potential downside of 10.83%. Given Dover's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Dover is more favorable than W.W. Grainger.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Dover
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
8 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.57
W.W. Grainger
1 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.20

W.W. Grainger has higher revenue and earnings than Dover. Dover is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than W.W. Grainger, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Dover$8.09B3.72$1.09B$8.0227.89
W.W. Grainger$17.94B3.59$1.71B$37.1836.71

Dover has a beta of 1.17, indicating that its stock price is 17% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, W.W. Grainger has a beta of 1.04, indicating that its stock price is 4% more volatile than the broader market.

84.5% of Dover shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.7% of W.W. Grainger shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.1% of Dover shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.3% of W.W. Grainger shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Dover pays an annual dividend of $2.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger pays an annual dividend of $9.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. Dover pays out 25.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. W.W. Grainger pays out 26.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Dover has increased its dividend for 70 consecutive years and W.W. Grainger has increased its dividend for 55 consecutive years. Dover is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Dover has a net margin of 13.30% compared to W.W. Grainger's net margin of 9.70%. W.W. Grainger's return on equity of 47.87% beat Dover's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Dover13.30% 18.01% 10.10%
W.W. Grainger 9.70%47.87%21.84%

Summary

Dover beats W.W. Grainger on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does W.W. Grainger compare to Graco?

Graco (NYSE:GGG) and W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) are both large-cap industrials companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, dividends, media sentiment and valuation.

In the previous week, W.W. Grainger had 14 more articles in the media than Graco. MarketBeat recorded 21 mentions for W.W. Grainger and 7 mentions for Graco. W.W. Grainger's average media sentiment score of 1.03 beat Graco's score of 0.84 indicating that W.W. Grainger is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Graco
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
W.W. Grainger
14 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Graco presently has a consensus price target of $94.25, indicating a potential upside of 23.92%. W.W. Grainger has a consensus price target of $1,217.00, indicating a potential downside of 10.83%. Given Graco's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Graco is more favorable than W.W. Grainger.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Graco
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.33
W.W. Grainger
1 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.20

Graco pays an annual dividend of $1.18 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. W.W. Grainger pays an annual dividend of $9.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. Graco pays out 38.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. W.W. Grainger pays out 26.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Graco has increased its dividend for 29 consecutive years and W.W. Grainger has increased its dividend for 55 consecutive years.

W.W. Grainger has higher revenue and earnings than Graco. Graco is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than W.W. Grainger, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Graco$2.24B5.64$521.84M$3.0724.77
W.W. Grainger$17.94B3.59$1.71B$37.1836.71

Graco has a beta of 0.93, meaning that its share price is 7% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, W.W. Grainger has a beta of 1.04, meaning that its share price is 4% more volatile than the broader market.

93.9% of Graco shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.7% of W.W. Grainger shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.2% of Graco shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 6.3% of W.W. Grainger shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Graco has a net margin of 22.96% compared to W.W. Grainger's net margin of 9.70%. W.W. Grainger's return on equity of 47.87% beat Graco's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Graco22.96% 18.66% 15.22%
W.W. Grainger 9.70%47.87%21.84%

Summary

W.W. Grainger beats Graco on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding GWW and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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GWW vs. The Competition

MetricW.W. GraingerIndustrial Services IndustryIndustrials SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$64.47B$22.23B$9.64B$23.20B
Dividend Yield0.73%6.36%3.55%4.06%
P/E Ratio36.7122.2925.9231.61
Price / Sales3.592.394,969.03112.08
Price / Cash30.1113.8327.9924.44
Price / Book15.673.454.694.68
Net Income$1.71B$712.91M$792.17M$1.08B
7 Day Performance3.82%-3.57%1.53%-0.82%
1 Month Performance10.10%-5.60%1.57%1.07%
1 Year Performance31.81%7.06%26.20%25.02%

W.W. Grainger Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
GWW
W.W. Grainger
3.6544 of 5 stars
$1,364.88
0.0%
$1,217.00
-10.8%
+31.8%$64.47B$17.94B36.7122,100
FAST
Fastenal
3.3451 of 5 stars
$46.10
-1.0%
$49.57
+7.5%
+12.1%$53.46B$8.20B40.4424,489
AIT
Applied Industrial Technologies
3.4425 of 5 stars
$316.38
-1.2%
$313.67
-0.9%
+49.3%$11.83B$4.56B29.876,800
AME
AMETEK
4.4468 of 5 stars
$230.61
+1.5%
$252.69
+9.6%
+34.4%$52.06B$7.40B34.8422,500
DOV
Dover
3.4042 of 5 stars
$220.83
+1.6%
$239.85
+8.6%
+28.0%$29.28B$8.09B27.5324,000

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This page (NYSE:GWW) was last updated on 6/21/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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