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GWW vs. LII: W.W. Grainger vs. Lennox Stock Comparison

How do W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Lennox (LII) 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 Lennox (LII) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but GWW is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while LII is classified in Building Products.

Company profile comparison for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Lennox (LII)
Profile ItemGWWLII
NameW.W. Grainger Inc.Lennox International Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsBuilding Products
GICS Sub-IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsBuilding Products
Market Capitalization67.45 billion USD11.70 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973July 29, 1999
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GWW
LII
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Lennox (LII), 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 Lennox (LII). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Lennox (LII). 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 Lennox (LII)
MetricGWWLII
Total Return (1Y)54.07%-27.83%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.16%-2.32%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)25.95%3.79%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GWW
LII
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Lennox (LII), 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 Lennox (LII). 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 Lennox (LII)
MetricGWWLII
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.49%41.59%
Beta (5Y)0.931.18
Max Drawdown (5Y)-24.50%-49.95%
Avg. Volume (3M)250.35K563.34K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GWW and LII 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 Lennox (LII)
MetricGWWLII
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)2.03-0.77
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.31-0.96

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 52.33% and Lennox (LII) at 62.82% turn shareholders’ equity into profit at rates above their industry benchmark ranges for ROE. That is a strong capital-efficiency signal, though leverage and the equity base still matter.

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%

LII

Capital Goods industry group

62.82%

LII
62.82%
Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Lennox (LII): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Lennox (LII) at 13.76% 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%

LII

Capital Goods industry group

13.76%

Max
27.47%
LII
13.76%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Lennox (LII): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Lennox (LII) at 20.57% 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%

LII

Capital Goods industry group

20.57%

Max
36.60%
LII
20.57%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Lennox (LII): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Lennox (LII)
MetricGWWLII
ROE (TTM)52.33%62.82%
ROA (TTM)20.34%15.93%
Net Margin (TTM)11.17%13.76%
Operating Margin (TTM)16.14%20.57%
Gross Margin (TTM)39.43%32.62%

Growth

Revenue Growth

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 4.51% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Lennox (LII) at -2.73% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Lennox (LII): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at -8.55% and Lennox (LII) at 1.11% 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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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Lennox (LII): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Lennox (LII)
MetricGWWLII
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.51%-2.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.62%3.26%
EPS Growth (YoY)-8.55%1.11%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)5.60%17.97%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 2.61 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Lennox (LII) at 1.21 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for LII.

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

LII

Capital Goods industry group

1.21

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
LII
1.21
Min
0.36
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Lennox (LII): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Lennox (LII) at 1.58 uses more debt funding than most peers.

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

LII

Capital Goods industry group

1.58

Max
2.33
LII
1.58
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Lennox (LII): 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 Lennox (LII)
MetricGWWLII
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.611.21
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.651.58
Net Debt / EBITDA0.691.73

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Lennox (LII) at 1.53% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, LII the richer one.

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%

LII

Capital Goods industry group

1.53%

Max
2.66%
LII
1.53%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Lennox (LII): 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 Lennox (LII) at 24.68% 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%

LII

Capital Goods industry group

24.68%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
LII
24.68%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Lennox (LII): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Lennox (LII)
MetricGWWLII
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.65%1.53%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)20.87%24.68%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Lennox (LII) at 15.47 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 31.66 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for LII, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

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

LII

Capital Goods industry group

15.47

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
LII
15.47
Min
3.03
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Lennox (LII): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 3.48 and Lennox (LII) at 2.15 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

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

LII

Capital Goods industry group

2.15

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Lennox (LII) at 8.88 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 15.56 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

LII

Capital Goods industry group

8.88

Max
9.66
LII
8.88
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Lennox (LII): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Lennox (LII)
MetricGWWLII
P/E Ratio (TTM)31.6615.47
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.482.15
P/B Ratio (MRQ)15.568.88
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.97%3.14%