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GWW vs. IR: W.W. Grainger vs. Ingersoll Rand Stock Comparison

How do W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Ingersoll Rand (IR) 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

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

Company profile comparison for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Ingersoll Rand (IR)
Profile ItemGWWIR
NameW.W. Grainger Inc.Ingersoll Rand Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsMachinery
GICS Sub-IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization67.45 billion USD31.87 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973May 12, 2017
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GWW
IR
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Ingersoll Rand (IR), 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Ingersoll Rand (IR). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Ingersoll Rand (IR)
MetricGWWIR
Total Return (1Y)54.07%12.39%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.16%9.19%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)25.95%8.02%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GWW
IR
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Ingersoll Rand (IR), 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Ingersoll Rand (IR). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Ingersoll Rand (IR)
MetricGWWIR
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.49%34.08%
Beta (5Y)0.931.12
Max Drawdown (5Y)-24.50%-36.62%
Avg. Volume (3M)250.35K4.27M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GWW and IR 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Ingersoll Rand (IR)
MetricGWWIR
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)2.030.24
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.310.37

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 52.33% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Ingersoll Rand (IR) at 13.41%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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%

IR

Capital Goods industry group

13.41%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
IR
13.41%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Ingersoll Rand (IR): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Ingersoll Rand (IR) at 17.20% 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.

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%

IR

Capital Goods industry group

17.20%

Max
27.47%
IR
17.20%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Ingersoll Rand (IR): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Ingersoll Rand (IR) at 18.79% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 16.14%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

IR

Capital Goods industry group

18.79%

Max
36.60%
IR
18.79%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Ingersoll Rand (IR): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Ingersoll Rand (IR)
MetricGWWIR
ROE (TTM)52.33%13.41%
ROA (TTM)20.34%4.98%
Net Margin (TTM)11.17%17.20%
Operating Margin (TTM)16.14%18.79%
Gross Margin (TTM)39.43%42.57%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 4.51% and Ingersoll Rand (IR) at 5.75% 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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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Ingersoll Rand (IR): 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 Ingersoll Rand (IR) at -29.61% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Ingersoll Rand (IR): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Ingersoll Rand (IR)
MetricGWWIR
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.51%5.75%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.62%8.95%
EPS Growth (YoY)-8.55%-29.61%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)5.60%-0.46%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 2.61 and Ingersoll Rand (IR) at 1.69 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

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

IR

Capital Goods industry group

1.69

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
IR
1.69
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Ingersoll Rand (IR): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65 and Ingersoll Rand (IR) at 0.46 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

IR

Capital Goods industry group

0.46

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
IR
0.46
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Ingersoll Rand (IR): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Ingersoll Rand (IR)
MetricGWWIR
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.611.69
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.650.46
Net Debt / EBITDA0.691.76

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65% and Ingersoll Rand (IR) at 0.10% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

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%

IR

Capital Goods industry group

0.10%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
IR
0.10%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Ingersoll Rand (IR): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 20.87% and Ingersoll Rand (IR) at 2.27% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

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%

IR

Capital Goods industry group

2.27%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
IR
2.27%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Ingersoll Rand (IR): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Ingersoll Rand (IR)
MetricGWWIR
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.65%0.10%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)20.87%2.27%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 31.66 and Ingersoll Rand (IR) at 23.51 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

IR

Capital Goods industry group

23.51

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
IR
23.51
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Ingersoll Rand (IR): 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 Ingersoll Rand (IR) at 3.96 sits in the pricier quartile — IR costs more per dollar of sales.

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

IR

Capital Goods industry group

3.96

Max
7.54
IR
3.96
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Ingersoll Rand (IR): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Ingersoll Rand (IR) at 3.03 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.

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

IR

Capital Goods industry group

3.03

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
IR
3.03
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Ingersoll Rand (IR): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Ingersoll Rand (IR)
MetricGWWIR
P/E Ratio (TTM)31.6623.51
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.483.96
P/B Ratio (MRQ)15.563.03
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.97%3.19%