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GWW vs. NDSN: W.W. Grainger vs. Nordson Stock Comparison

How do W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Nordson (NDSN) 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 Nordson (NDSN) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but GWW is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while NDSN is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Nordson (NDSN)
Profile ItemGWWNDSN
NameW.W. Grainger Inc.Nordson Corporation
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 USD17.26 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973March 18, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GWW
NDSN
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Nordson (NDSN), 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 Nordson (NDSN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Nordson (NDSN). 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 Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGWWNDSN
Total Return (1Y)54.07%40.90%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.16%14.93%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)25.95%5.48%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GWW
NDSN
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Nordson (NDSN), 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 Nordson (NDSN). 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 Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGWWNDSN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.49%23.53%
Beta (5Y)0.930.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)-24.50%-39.15%
Avg. Volume (3M)250.35K381.48K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GWW and NDSN 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 Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGWWNDSN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)2.031.56
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.312.43

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 52.33% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Nordson (NDSN) at 17.76%, 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%

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

17.76%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
NDSN
17.76%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Nordson (NDSN) at 18.63% 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%

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

18.63%

Max
27.47%
NDSN
18.63%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Nordson (NDSN) at 27.40% 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%

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

27.40%

Max
36.60%
NDSN
27.40%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGWWNDSN
ROE (TTM)52.33%17.76%
ROA (TTM)20.34%8.47%
Net Margin (TTM)11.17%18.63%
Operating Margin (TTM)16.14%27.40%
Gross Margin (TTM)39.43%55.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 4.51% and Nordson (NDSN) at 3.78% 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. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at -8.55% and Nordson (NDSN) at 4.93% 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. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGWWNDSN
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.51%3.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.62%2.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)-8.55%4.93%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)5.60%-1.15%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 2.61 and Nordson (NDSN) 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

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

1.82

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
NDSN
1.82
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Nordson (NDSN): 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 Nordson (NDSN) at 0.56 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

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

0.56

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
NDSN
0.56
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Nordson (NDSN): 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 Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGWWNDSN
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.611.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.650.56
Net Debt / EBITDA0.691.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65% and Nordson (NDSN) at 1.06% 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%

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

1.06%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
NDSN
1.06%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Nordson (NDSN): 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 Nordson (NDSN) at 33.20% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

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%

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

33.20%

Max
67.39%
NDSN
33.20%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGWWNDSN
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.65%1.06%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)20.87%33.20%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 31.66 and Nordson (NDSN) at 31.36 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

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

31.36

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
NDSN
31.36
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Nordson (NDSN): 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 Nordson (NDSN) at 5.79 sits in the pricier quartile — NDSN 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

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

5.79

Max
7.54
NDSN
5.79
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Nordson (NDSN) at 5.28 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

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

5.28

Max
9.66
NDSN
5.28
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGWWNDSN
P/E Ratio (TTM)31.6631.36
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.485.79
P/B Ratio (MRQ)15.565.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.97%3.56%