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EMR vs. GWW: Emerson Electric vs. W.W. Grainger Stock Comparison

How do Emerson Electric (EMR) 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

Emerson Electric (EMR) and W.W. Grainger (GWW) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but EMR is classified in Electrical Equipment while GWW is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Company profile comparison for Emerson Electric (EMR) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
Profile ItemEMRGWW
NameEmerson Electric Co.W.W. Grainger Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryElectrical EquipmentTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryElectrical Components & EquipmentTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization90.56 billion USD67.45 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJune 1, 1972February 21, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

EMR
GWW
GSPC
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Emerson Electric (EMR) 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 Emerson Electric (EMR) and W.W. Grainger (GWW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Emerson Electric (EMR) 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 Emerson Electric (EMR) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricEMRGWW
Total Return (1Y)34.39%54.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)28.46%24.16%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)14.17%25.95%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

EMR
GWW
GSPC
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Emerson Electric (EMR) 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 Emerson Electric (EMR) 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 Emerson Electric (EMR) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricEMRGWW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)32.47%24.49%
Beta (5Y)1.200.93
Max Drawdown (5Y)-29.61%-24.50%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.61M250.35K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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EMR 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 Emerson Electric (EMR) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricEMRGWW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.932.03
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.373.31

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 52.33% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Emerson Electric (EMR) at 13.12%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

13.12%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
EMR
13.12%
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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Emerson Electric (EMR) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Emerson Electric (EMR) at 14.18% 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.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

14.18%

Max
27.47%
EMR
14.18%
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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Emerson Electric (EMR) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Emerson Electric (EMR) at 25.90% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 16.14%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

25.90%

Max
36.60%
EMR
25.90%
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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Emerson Electric (EMR) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Emerson Electric (EMR) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricEMRGWW
ROE (TTM)13.12%52.33%
ROA (TTM)5.98%20.34%
Net Margin (TTM)14.18%11.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)25.90%16.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)53.36%39.43%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: W.W. Grainger (GWW) reports revenue growth of 4.51%, ranked against its industry; Emerson Electric (EMR) has no revenue growth figure this period.

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Emerson Electric (EMR) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Emerson Electric (EMR) at 18.56% and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at -8.55% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Emerson Electric (EMR) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Emerson Electric (EMR) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricEMRGWW
Revenue Growth (YoY)--4.51%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)--5.62%
EPS Growth (YoY)18.56%-8.55%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-40.62%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 Emerson Electric (EMR) at 0.94 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for EMR.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

0.94

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
EMR
0.94
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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Emerson Electric (EMR) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Emerson Electric (EMR) at 0.59 and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

0.59

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
EMR
0.59
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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Emerson Electric (EMR) 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 Emerson Electric (EMR) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricEMRGWW
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.942.61
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.590.65
Net Debt / EBITDA1.890.69

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Emerson Electric (EMR) 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.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 20.87% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Emerson Electric (EMR) at 48.51% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

48.51%

Max
67.39%
EMR
48.51%
Q3
28.02%
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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Emerson Electric (EMR) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Emerson Electric (EMR) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricEMRGWW
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.65%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)48.51%20.87%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Emerson Electric (EMR) at 33.89 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.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

33.89

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
EMR
33.89
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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Emerson Electric (EMR) 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 Emerson Electric (EMR) at 4.77 sits in the pricier quartile — EMR costs more per dollar of sales.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

4.77

Max
7.54
EMR
4.77
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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Emerson Electric (EMR) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Emerson Electric (EMR) at 4.38 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.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

4.38

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
EMR
4.38
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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Emerson Electric (EMR) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Emerson Electric (EMR) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricEMRGWW
P/E Ratio (TTM)33.8931.66
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.773.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)4.3815.56
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.85%1.97%