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GNRC vs. GWW: Generac vs. W.W. Grainger Stock Comparison

How do Generac (GNRC) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Generac (GNRC) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
Profile ItemGNRCGWW
NameGenerac Holdings Inc.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 Capitalization10.43 billion USD67.45 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 11, 2010February 21, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GNRC
GWW
GSPC
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Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) and W.W. Grainger (GWW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricGNRCGWW
Total Return (1Y)23.38%54.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)23.05%24.16%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-15.31%25.95%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GNRC
GWW
GSPC
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Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricGNRCGWW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)59.48%24.49%
Beta (5Y)1.840.93
Max Drawdown (5Y)-81.73%-24.50%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.22M250.35K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GNRC 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 Generac (GNRC) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricGNRCGWW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.322.03
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.503.31

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 52.33% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Generac (GNRC) at 10.64%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

10.64%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
GNRC
10.64%
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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Generac (GNRC) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 6.52% 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.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

6.52%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
GNRC
6.52%
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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Generac (GNRC) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 11.67% and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 16.14% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

11.67%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
GNRC
11.67%
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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Generac (GNRC) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Generac (GNRC) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricGNRCGWW
ROE (TTM)10.64%52.33%
ROA (TTM)4.24%20.34%
Net Margin (TTM)6.52%11.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)11.67%16.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)38.18%39.43%

Growth

Revenue Growth

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 4.51% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Generac (GNRC) at -2.02% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) at -50.09% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Generac (GNRC) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricGNRCGWW
Revenue Growth (YoY)-2.02%4.51%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-2.67%5.62%
EPS Growth (YoY)-50.09%-8.55%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-20.83%5.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 1.97 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.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

1.97

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
GNRC
1.97
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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Generac (GNRC) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 0.47 and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.47

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
GNRC
0.47
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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Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricGNRCGWW
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.972.61
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.470.65
Net Debt / EBITDA1.650.69

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) 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.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) 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.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Generac (GNRC) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricGNRCGWW
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.65%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%20.87%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 34.87 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.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

34.87

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
GNRC
34.87
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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Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) at 2.26 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.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

2.26

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
GNRC
2.26
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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Generac (GNRC) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 3.46 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.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

3.46

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
GNRC
3.46
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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Generac (GNRC) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Generac (GNRC) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricGNRCGWW
P/E Ratio (TTM)34.8731.66
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.263.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.4615.56
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.21%1.97%