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AXON vs. GWW: Axon Enterprise vs. W.W. Grainger Stock Comparison

How do Axon Enterprise (AXON) and W.W. Grainger (GWW) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Axon Enterprise (AXON) and W.W. Grainger (GWW) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but AXON is classified in Aerospace & Defense while GWW is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Company profile comparison for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
Profile ItemAXONGWW
NameAxon Enterprise, Inc.W.W. Grainger Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryAerospace & DefenseTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryAerospace & DefenseTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization25.49 billion USD67.45 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateJune 19, 2001February 21, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AXON
GWW
GSPC
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Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and W.W. Grainger (GWW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and W.W. Grainger (GWW). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricAXONGWW
Total Return (1Y)-48.97%54.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)12.54%24.16%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)11.75%25.95%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AXON
GWW
GSPC
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Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and W.W. Grainger (GWW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricAXONGWW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)64.30%24.49%
Beta (5Y)1.550.93
Max Drawdown (5Y)-64.70%-24.50%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.06M250.35K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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AXON and GWW are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricAXONGWW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.832.03
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-1.143.31

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 52.33% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 7.61%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

7.61%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
AXON
7.61%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

52.33%

GWW
52.33%
Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 7.57% and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 11.17% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

7.57%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
AXON
7.57%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

11.17%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
GWW
11.17%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 16.14% runs core operations around its industry’s norm, while Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 4.63% operates in the bottom quartile.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

4.63%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
AXON
4.63%
Min
-12.63%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

16.14%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
GWW
16.14%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricAXONGWW
ROE (TTM)7.61%52.33%
ROA (TTM)0.81%20.34%
Net Margin (TTM)7.57%11.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)4.63%16.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)58.64%39.43%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 33.47% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 4.51% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for AXON.

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Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at -8.55% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Axon Enterprise (AXON) at -68.54% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricAXONGWW
Revenue Growth (YoY)33.47%4.51%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)32.79%5.62%
EPS Growth (YoY)-68.54%-8.55%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-9.39%5.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 2.61 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 3.00 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

3.00

Max
5.22
AXON
3.00
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

2.61

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
GWW
2.61
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 0.79 and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

0.79

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
AXON
0.79
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

0.65

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
GWW
0.65
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricAXONGWW
Current Ratio (MRQ)3.002.61
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.790.65
Net Debt / EBITDA5.980.69

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Axon Enterprise (AXON) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile W.W. Grainger (GWW) reports a yield of 0.65%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
AXON
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

0.65%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
GWW
0.65%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Axon Enterprise (AXON) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile W.W. Grainger (GWW) reports a payout of 20.87%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
AXON
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

20.87%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
GWW
20.87%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricAXONGWW
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.65%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%20.87%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 31.66 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 100.64 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for AXON’s trailing earnings.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

100.64

AXON
100.64
Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

31.66

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
GWW
31.66
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 3.48 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 7.46 sits in the pricier quartile — AXON costs more per dollar of sales.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

7.46

Max
7.54
AXON
7.46
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

3.48

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
GWW
3.48
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 6.74 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 15.56 prices even higher, above its industry range.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

6.74

Max
9.66
AXON
6.74
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

15.56

GWW
15.56
Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricAXONGWW
P/E Ratio (TTM)100.6431.66
P/S Ratio (TTM)7.463.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.7415.56
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)0.38%1.97%