Seek Returns

GWW vs. MAIR: W.W. Grainger vs. Madison Air Stock Comparison

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

W.W. Grainger (GWW) has been public since February 21, 1973, giving it decades of market history across multiple cycles, while Madison Air (MAIR) listed only on April 16, 2026 and lacks comparable through-cycle data.

Company profile comparison for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Madison Air (MAIR)
Profile ItemGWWMAIR
NameW.W. Grainger Inc.Madison Air Solutions Corporation Class A Common Stock
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 USD11.56 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973April 16, 2026
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GWW
MAIR
GSPC
Loading price history…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Madison Air (MAIR), 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

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Madison Air (MAIR). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Madison Air (MAIR). 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 Madison Air (MAIR)
MetricGWWMAIR
Total Return (1Y)54.07%--
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.16%--
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)25.95%--

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GWW
MAIR
GSPC
Loading price history…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Madison Air (MAIR), 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

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Madison Air (MAIR). 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 Madison Air (MAIR)
MetricGWWMAIR
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.49%57.10%
Beta (5Y)0.931.60
Max Drawdown (5Y)-24.50%-51.16%
Avg. Volume (3M)250.35K2.60M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Both GWW and MAIR need 1-year volatility and 1-year return to plot risk-return positioning.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Madison Air (MAIR)
MetricGWWMAIR
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)2.03--
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.31--

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: W.W. Grainger (GWW) earns 52.33% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Madison Air (MAIR) has no ROE this period.

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%

MAIR

Capital Goods industry group

--

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
MAIR
--
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Madison Air (MAIR): MAIR does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; GWW is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 11.17% and Madison Air (MAIR) at 3.73% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

MAIR

Capital Goods industry group

3.73%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
MAIR
3.73%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Madison Air (MAIR): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Madison Air (MAIR) at 19.76% 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%

MAIR

Capital Goods industry group

19.76%

Max
36.60%
MAIR
19.76%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Madison Air (MAIR): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Madison Air (MAIR)
MetricGWWMAIR
ROE (TTM)52.33%--
ROA (TTM)20.34%--
Net Margin (TTM)11.17%3.73%
Operating Margin (TTM)16.14%19.76%
Gross Margin (TTM)39.43%39.06%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Madison Air (MAIR) at 34.07% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 4.51% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for MAIR.

Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Madison Air (MAIR): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at -8.55% and Madison Air (MAIR) at -2.32% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Madison Air (MAIR): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Madison Air (MAIR)
MetricGWWMAIR
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.51%34.07%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.62%--
EPS Growth (YoY)-8.55%-2.32%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)5.60%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 2.61 and Madison Air (MAIR) at 1.82 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

MAIR

Capital Goods industry group

1.82

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
MAIR
1.82
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Madison Air (MAIR): 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 Madison Air (MAIR) at 0.87 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

MAIR

Capital Goods industry group

0.87

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
MAIR
0.87
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Madison Air (MAIR): 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 Madison Air (MAIR)
MetricGWWMAIR
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.611.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.650.87
Net Debt / EBITDA0.693.37

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Madison Air (MAIR) 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.

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%

MAIR

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
MAIR
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Madison Air (MAIR): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Madison Air (MAIR) 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.

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%

MAIR

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
MAIR
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Madison Air (MAIR): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Madison Air (MAIR)
MetricGWWMAIR
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.65%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)20.87%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 31.66 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Madison Air (MAIR) at 164.57 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for MAIR’s trailing earnings.

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

MAIR

Capital Goods industry group

164.57

MAIR
164.57
Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Madison Air (MAIR): 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 Madison Air (MAIR) at 3.09 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

MAIR

Capital Goods industry group

3.09

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
MAIR
3.09
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Madison Air (MAIR): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Madison Air (MAIR) at 3.17 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

MAIR

Capital Goods industry group

3.17

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
MAIR
3.17
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Madison Air (MAIR): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Madison Air (MAIR)
MetricGWWMAIR
P/E Ratio (TTM)31.66164.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.483.09
P/B Ratio (MRQ)15.563.17
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.97%--