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GWW vs. SUNB: W.W. Grainger vs. Sunbelt Rentals Stock Comparison

How do W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) are both classified in the Trading Companies & Distributors sub-industry within the broader Trading Companies & Distributors industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

W.W. Grainger (GWW) has been public since February 21, 1973, giving it decades of market history across multiple cycles, while Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) listed only on March 2, 2026 and lacks comparable through-cycle data.

Company profile comparison for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
Profile ItemGWWSUNB
NameW.W. Grainger Inc.Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization67.45 billion USD31.57 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973March 2, 2026
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GWW
SUNB
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB), 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB). 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricGWWSUNB
Total Return (1Y)54.07%--
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.16%--
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)25.95%--

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GWW
SUNB
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB), 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB). 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricGWWSUNB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.49%45.72%
Beta (5Y)0.931.10
Max Drawdown (5Y)-24.50%-22.53%
Avg. Volume (3M)250.35K4.96M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Both GWW and SUNB 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricGWWSUNB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)2.03--
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.31--

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 52.33% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 18.37%, 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%

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

18.37%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
SUNB
18.37%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 12.12% 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%

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

12.12%

Max
27.47%
SUNB
12.12%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 22.38% 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%

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

22.38%

Max
36.60%
SUNB
22.38%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricGWWSUNB
ROE (TTM)52.33%18.37%
ROA (TTM)20.34%6.71%
Net Margin (TTM)11.17%12.12%
Operating Margin (TTM)16.14%22.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)39.43%38.78%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 4.51% and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 3.36% 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. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at -8.55% and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at -8.91% 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. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricGWWSUNB
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.51%3.36%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.62%4.88%
EPS Growth (YoY)-8.55%-8.91%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)5.60%-4.89%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 2.61 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 0.95 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for SUNB.

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

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

0.95

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
SUNB
0.95
Min
0.36
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 1.53 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

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

1.53

Max
2.33
SUNB
1.53
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricGWWSUNB
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.610.95
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.651.53
Net Debt / EBITDA0.693.93

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 1.87% 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, SUNB 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%

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

1.87%

Max
2.66%
SUNB
1.87%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 22.63% 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%

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

22.63%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
SUNB
22.63%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricGWWSUNB
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.65%1.87%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)20.87%22.63%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 31.66 and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 23.28 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

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

23.28

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
SUNB
23.28
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 2.75 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

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

2.75

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
SUNB
2.75
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 4.24 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

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

4.24

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
SUNB
4.24
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricGWWSUNB
P/E Ratio (TTM)31.6623.28
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.482.75
P/B Ratio (MRQ)15.564.24
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.97%5.47%