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GWW vs. VRT: W.W. Grainger vs. Vertiv Stock Comparison

How do W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Vertiv (VRT) 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 Vertiv (VRT) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but GWW is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while VRT is classified in Electrical Equipment.

Company profile comparison for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Vertiv (VRT)
Profile ItemGWWVRT
NameW.W. Grainger Inc.Vertiv Holdings Co Class A Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsElectrical Equipment
GICS Sub-IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsElectrical Components & Equipment
Market Capitalization67.45 billion USD70.41 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973August 2, 2018
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GWW
VRT
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Vertiv (VRT), 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 Vertiv (VRT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Vertiv (VRT). 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 Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGWWVRT
Total Return (1Y)54.07%11.12%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.16%71.14%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)25.95%49.38%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GWW
VRT
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Vertiv (VRT), 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 Vertiv (VRT). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Vertiv (VRT) carries a highly aggressive beta of 2.15, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas W.W. Grainger (GWW) is closer to market-like at 0.93 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Risk profile metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGWWVRT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.49%71.11%
Beta (5Y)0.932.15
Max Drawdown (5Y)-24.50%-69.52%
Avg. Volume (3M)250.35K5.90M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GWW and VRT 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 Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGWWVRT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)2.030.10
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.310.14

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 52.33% and Vertiv (VRT) at 46.57% turn shareholders’ equity into profit at rates above their industry benchmark ranges for ROE. That is a strong capital-efficiency signal, though leverage and the equity base still matter.

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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

46.57%

VRT
46.57%
Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Vertiv (VRT) at 16.00% 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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

16.00%

Max
27.47%
VRT
16.00%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Vertiv (VRT) at 23.77% 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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

23.77%

Max
36.60%
VRT
23.77%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGWWVRT
ROE (TTM)52.33%46.57%
ROA (TTM)20.34%11.94%
Net Margin (TTM)11.17%16.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)16.14%23.77%
Gross Margin (TTM)39.43%38.12%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Vertiv (VRT) at 27.69% 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 VRT.

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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Vertiv (VRT) at 166.41% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than W.W. Grainger (GWW) at -8.55%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGWWVRT
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.51%27.69%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.62%21.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)-8.55%166.41%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)5.60%340.11%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 2.61 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Vertiv (VRT) at 1.39 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for VRT.

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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

1.39

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
VRT
1.39
Min
0.36
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Vertiv (VRT): 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 Vertiv (VRT) at 0.61 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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

0.61

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
VRT
0.61
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Vertiv (VRT): 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 Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGWWVRT
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.611.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.650.61
Net Debt / EBITDA0.69-0.11

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65% and Vertiv (VRT) at 0.11% 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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

0.11%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
VRT
0.11%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Vertiv (VRT): 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 Vertiv (VRT) at 4.67% 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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

4.67%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
VRT
4.67%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGWWVRT
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.65%0.11%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)20.87%4.67%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 31.66 and Vertiv (VRT) at 34.18 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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

34.18

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
VRT
34.18
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Vertiv (VRT): 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 Vertiv (VRT) at 5.37 sits in the pricier quartile — VRT 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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

5.37

Max
7.54
VRT
5.37
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 15.56 and Vertiv (VRT) at 12.80 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark 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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

12.80

VRT
12.80
Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
Loading chart…
W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGWWVRT
P/E Ratio (TTM)31.6634.18
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.485.37
P/B Ratio (MRQ)15.5612.80
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.97%4.21%