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GWW vs. PWR: W.W. Grainger vs. Quanta Services Stock Comparison

How do W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Quanta Services (PWR) 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 Quanta Services (PWR) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but GWW is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while PWR is classified in Construction & Engineering.

Company profile comparison for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Quanta Services (PWR)
Profile ItemGWWPWR
NameW.W. Grainger Inc.Quanta Services, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsConstruction & Engineering
GICS Sub-IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsConstruction & Engineering
Market Capitalization67.45 billion USD81.50 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973February 12, 1998
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GWW
PWR
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Quanta Services (PWR), 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 Quanta Services (PWR). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Quanta Services (PWR). 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 Quanta Services (PWR)
MetricGWWPWR
Total Return (1Y)54.07%32.97%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.16%51.81%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)25.95%38.19%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GWW
PWR
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Quanta Services (PWR), 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 Quanta Services (PWR). 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 Quanta Services (PWR)
MetricGWWPWR
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.49%50.22%
Beta (5Y)0.931.29
Max Drawdown (5Y)-24.50%-35.15%
Avg. Volume (3M)250.35K1.19M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GWW and PWR 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 Quanta Services (PWR)
MetricGWWPWR
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)2.030.57
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.310.87

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 52.33% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Quanta Services (PWR) at 18.02%, 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%

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

18.02%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
PWR
18.02%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 11.17% and Quanta Services (PWR) at 4.51% 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%

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

4.51%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
PWR
4.51%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 16.14% and Quanta Services (PWR) at 8.63% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

8.63%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
PWR
8.63%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Quanta Services (PWR)
MetricGWWPWR
ROE (TTM)52.33%18.02%
ROA (TTM)20.34%5.72%
Net Margin (TTM)11.17%4.51%
Operating Margin (TTM)16.14%8.63%
Gross Margin (TTM)39.43%15.76%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Quanta Services (PWR) at 20.31% 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 PWR.

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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at -8.55% and Quanta Services (PWR) at 12.77% 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. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Quanta Services (PWR)
MetricGWWPWR
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.51%20.31%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.62%18.60%
EPS Growth (YoY)-8.55%12.77%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)5.60%27.00%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 2.61 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Quanta Services (PWR) at 1.16 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for PWR.

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

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

1.16

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
PWR
1.16
Min
0.36
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): 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 Quanta Services (PWR) at 0.71 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

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

0.71

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
PWR
0.71
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): 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 Quanta Services (PWR)
MetricGWWPWR
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.611.16
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.650.71
Net Debt / EBITDA0.691.43

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65% and Quanta Services (PWR) at 0.09% 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%

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

0.09%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
PWR
0.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): 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 Quanta Services (PWR) at 3.98% 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%

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

3.98%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
PWR
3.98%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Quanta Services (PWR)
MetricGWWPWR
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.65%0.09%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)20.87%3.98%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 31.66 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Quanta Services (PWR) at 48.95 sits in the richer quartile — PWR needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

48.95

Max
59.38
PWR
48.95
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): 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 Quanta Services (PWR) at 2.19 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

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

2.19

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
PWR
2.19
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Quanta Services (PWR) at 7.73 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

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

7.73

Max
9.66
PWR
7.73
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Quanta Services (PWR)
MetricGWWPWR
P/E Ratio (TTM)31.6648.95
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.482.19
P/B Ratio (MRQ)15.567.73
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.97%3.78%