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GWW vs. RBC: W.W. Grainger vs. RBC Bearings Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Profile ItemGWWRBC
NameW.W. Grainger Inc.RBC Bearings Incorporated
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 USD15.02 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973August 10, 2005
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GWW
RBC
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC), 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 RBC Bearings (RBC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and RBC Bearings (RBC). 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 RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricGWWRBC
Total Return (1Y)54.07%13.77%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.16%30.63%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)25.95%15.68%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GWW
RBC
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC), 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 RBC Bearings (RBC). 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 RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricGWWRBC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.49%29.69%
Beta (5Y)0.931.34
Max Drawdown (5Y)-24.50%-34.92%
Avg. Volume (3M)250.35K309.06K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GWW and RBC 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 RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricGWWRBC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)2.030.32
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.310.45

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 52.33% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than RBC Bearings (RBC) at 10.51%, 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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

10.51%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
RBC
10.51%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

RBC Bearings (RBC) at 17.51% 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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

17.51%

Max
27.47%
RBC
17.51%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

RBC Bearings (RBC) at 24.97% 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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

24.97%

Max
36.60%
RBC
24.97%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricGWWRBC
ROE (TTM)52.33%10.51%
ROA (TTM)20.34%6.06%
Net Margin (TTM)11.17%17.51%
Operating Margin (TTM)16.14%24.97%
Gross Margin (TTM)39.43%45.61%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 4.51% and RBC Bearings (RBC) at 14.34% 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. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at -8.55% and RBC Bearings (RBC) at 18.05% 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. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricGWWRBC
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.51%14.34%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.62%8.39%
EPS Growth (YoY)-8.55%18.05%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)5.60%22.54%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 2.61 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while RBC Bearings (RBC) at 3.13 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets 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

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

3.13

Max
5.22
RBC
3.13
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

RBC Bearings (RBC) at 0.22 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

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

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

0.22

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
RBC
0.22
Min
0.00
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): 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 RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricGWWRBC
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.613.13
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.650.22
Net Debt / EBITDA0.691.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

RBC Bearings (RBC) 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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

RBC Bearings (RBC) 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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricGWWRBC
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 RBC Bearings (RBC) at 42.44 sits in the richer quartile — RBC 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

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

42.44

Max
59.38
RBC
42.44
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): 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 RBC Bearings (RBC) at 7.42 sits in the pricier quartile — RBC 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

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

7.42

Max
7.54
RBC
7.42
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

RBC Bearings (RBC) at 4.21 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

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

4.21

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
RBC
4.21
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricGWWRBC
P/E Ratio (TTM)31.6642.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.487.42
P/B Ratio (MRQ)15.564.21
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.97%2.22%