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DOV vs. GWW: Dover vs. W.W. Grainger Stock Comparison

How do Dover (DOV) 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

Dover (DOV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but DOV is classified in Machinery while GWW is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Company profile comparison for Dover (DOV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
Profile ItemDOVGWW
NameDover CorporationW.W. Grainger Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryMachineryTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & ComponentsTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization27.11 billion USD67.45 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980February 21, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DOV
GWW
GSPC
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Dover (DOV) 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 Dover (DOV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Dover (DOV) 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 Dover (DOV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricDOVGWW
Total Return (1Y)18.59%54.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)18.73%24.16%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)5.12%25.95%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DOV
GWW
GSPC
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Dover (DOV) 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 Dover (DOV) 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 Dover (DOV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricDOVGWW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)25.76%24.49%
Beta (5Y)1.080.93
Max Drawdown (5Y)-35.56%-24.50%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.21M250.35K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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DOV 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 Dover (DOV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricDOVGWW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.562.03
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.813.31

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 52.33% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Dover (DOV) at 15.20%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

15.20%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
DOV
15.20%
Median
12.12%
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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Dover (DOV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Dover (DOV) at 13.60% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 11.17%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

13.60%

Max
27.47%
DOV
13.60%
Q3
12.10%
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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Dover (DOV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Dover (DOV) at 19.66% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 16.14%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

19.66%

Max
36.60%
DOV
19.66%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
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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Dover (DOV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Dover (DOV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricDOVGWW
ROE (TTM)15.20%52.33%
ROA (TTM)7.23%20.34%
Net Margin (TTM)13.60%11.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)19.66%16.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)40.23%39.43%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Dover (DOV) at 4.48% and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 4.51% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Dover (DOV) 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 Dover (DOV) at -59.18% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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Dover (DOV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Dover (DOV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricDOVGWW
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.48%4.51%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)1.04%5.62%
EPS Growth (YoY)-59.18%-8.55%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)2.28%5.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Dover (DOV) at 1.95 and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 2.61 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

1.95

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
DOV
1.95
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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Dover (DOV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Dover (DOV) at 0.43 and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

0.43

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
DOV
0.43
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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Dover (DOV) 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 Dover (DOV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricDOVGWW
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.952.61
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.430.65
Net Debt / EBITDA0.800.69

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Dover (DOV) at 1.03% and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

1.03%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
DOV
1.03%
Median
0.24%
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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Dover (DOV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Dover (DOV) at 24.33% and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 20.87% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

24.33%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
DOV
24.33%
Median
6.86%
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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Dover (DOV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Dover (DOV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricDOVGWW
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.03%0.65%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)24.33%20.87%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Dover (DOV) at 23.79 and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 31.66 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

23.79

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
DOV
23.79
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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Dover (DOV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Dover (DOV) at 3.16 and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 3.48 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

3.16

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
DOV
3.16
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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Dover (DOV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Dover (DOV) at 3.55 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 15.56 prices above its benchmark range — GWW looks rich relative to book.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

3.55

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
DOV
3.55
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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Dover (DOV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Dover (DOV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricDOVGWW
P/E Ratio (TTM)23.7931.66
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.163.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.5515.56
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.18%1.97%