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GWW vs. XYL: W.W. Grainger vs. Xylem Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Xylem (XYL)
Profile ItemGWWXYL
NameW.W. Grainger Inc.Xylem Inc.
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 USD22.44 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973October 13, 2011
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GWW
XYL
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Xylem (XYL), 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 Xylem (XYL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Xylem (XYL). 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 Xylem (XYL)
MetricGWWXYL
Total Return (1Y)54.07%-33.10%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.16%2.29%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)25.95%-4.47%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GWW
XYL
GSPC
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Xylem (XYL), 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 Xylem (XYL). 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 Xylem (XYL)
MetricGWWXYL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.49%30.74%
Beta (5Y)0.930.96
Max Drawdown (5Y)-24.50%-44.89%
Avg. Volume (3M)250.35K2.60M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GWW and XYL 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 Xylem (XYL)
MetricGWWXYL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)2.03-1.22
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.31-1.48

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 52.33% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Xylem (XYL) at 9.76%, 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

9.76%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
XYL
9.76%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 11.17% and Xylem (XYL) at 11.94% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

11.94%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
XYL
11.94%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 15.95% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

15.95%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
XYL
15.95%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricGWWXYL
ROE (TTM)52.33%9.76%
ROA (TTM)20.34%5.07%
Net Margin (TTM)11.17%11.94%
Operating Margin (TTM)16.14%15.95%
Gross Margin (TTM)39.43%39.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 4.51% and Xylem (XYL) at 5.52% 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. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at -8.55% and Xylem (XYL) at 7.40% 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. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricGWWXYL
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.51%5.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.62%17.84%
EPS Growth (YoY)-8.55%7.40%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)5.60%25.99%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

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

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.39

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
XYL
1.39
Min
0.36
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 0.29 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

0.29

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
XYL
0.29
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL)
MetricGWWXYL
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.611.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.650.29
Net Debt / EBITDA0.691.18

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Xylem (XYL) at 1.69% 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, XYL 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.69%

Max
2.66%
XYL
1.69%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 37.47% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

37.47%

Max
67.39%
XYL
37.47%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricGWWXYL
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.65%1.69%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)20.87%37.47%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 31.66 and Xylem (XYL) at 21.69 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

21.69

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
XYL
21.69
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 2.48 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.48

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
XYL
2.48
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Xylem (XYL) at 2.19 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.19

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
XYL
2.19
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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W.W. Grainger (GWW) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricGWWXYL
P/E Ratio (TTM)31.6621.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.482.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)15.562.19
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.97%5.39%