AVTR vs GWW vs WSO Stock Comparison

Avantor, W.W. Grainger and Watsco Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AVTR Avantor, Inc.
$17.29 +17.1% 1M +11.8% 1Y
Market cap
$11.70B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$6.56B
Div. yield
–
Industrial Distribution Industrials
1 win
GWW W.W. Grainger, Inc.
$1,350.12 +6.2% 1M +40.0% 1Y
Market cap
$64.13B
P/E
34.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$18.85B
Div. yield
0.01%
Industrial Distribution Industrials
7 wins
WSO Watsco Inc
$323.18 -0.7% 1M -10.0% 1Y
Market cap
$11.69B
P/E
26.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.28B
Div. yield
0.04%
Industrial Distribution Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

W.W. Grainger leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (W.W. Grainger 7, Watsco 4, Avantor 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAVTRGWWWSOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $11.70B $64.13B $11.69B GWW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -20.2x 34.3x 26.5x WSO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.2x 27.6x 28.4x AVTR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -1.6% +7.8% -3.0% GWW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -8.8% 9.9% 6.1% GWW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -3.2% 29.6% 14.9% GWW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 27.2x 0.6x -0.5x WSO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.04% WSO
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +11.8% +40.0% -10.0% GWW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -14.8%/yr +25.3%/yr +1.8%/yr GWW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 51.2% 23.5% 34.7% GWW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 15/100 58/100 69/100 WSO

Percentile Scorecard

AVTRGWWWSO

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAVTRGWWWSO
Valuation 13 #40 of 46 7 #43 of 46 64 #17 of 46
Growth 3 #38 of 39 55 #18 of 39 42 #23 of 39
Profitability 21 #32 of 40 97 #2 of 40 77 #10 of 40
Financial Health 31 #34 of 49 71 #15 of 49 94 #4 of 49
Shareholder Returns 7 #30 of 32 58 #14 of 32 68 #11 of 32
Overall 15 58 69
  • AVTR ranked among 49 companies in Distribution and Rental
  • GWW ranked among 49 companies in Distribution and Rental
  • WSO ranked among 49 companies in Distribution and Rental

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAVTRGWWWSOSPY
1 month +17.1%+6.2%-0.7% -1.0%
3 months +51.1%-2.3%-10.7% +2.9%
6 months +118.9%+17.6%-26.7% +6.4%
Year to date +50.9%+33.8%-4.1% +11.4%
1 year +11.8%+40.0%-10.0% +13.1%
3 years -14.3%+96.6%-6.9% +79.4%
3 years, per year -5.0%+25.3%-2.4% +21.5%
5 years -55.0%+208.9%+9.6% +67.7%
5 years, per year -14.8%+25.3%+1.8% +10.9%
10 years —+562.6%+129.0% +255.2%
10 years, per year —+20.8%+8.6% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureAVTRGWWWSOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 51.2%23.5%34.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 53.9%21.5%35.7% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.800.501.02 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.231.70-0.29 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -82.4%-24.8%-50.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-3.7%-29.3% -2.5%
52-week high $17.29$1,402.04$456.86 $779.14
52-week low $7.41$918.18$279.97 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAVTRGWWWSO
P/E now vs peer median -20.2xmedian 25.9x 34.1xmedian 25.9x 27.9xmedian 25.9x
P/S now vs peer median 1.8xmedian 1.0x 3.4xmedian 1.0x 1.6xmedian 1.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 120.9xmedian 13.0x 21.8xmedian 13.0x 15.3xmedian 13.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 25.7xmedian 23.0x 42.1xmedian 23.0x 16.5xmedian 23.0x
P/B now vs peer median 2.1xmedian 2.4x 14.1xmedian 2.4x 3.3xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median 0.41median 2.37 8.37median 2.37 -2.79median 2.37

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAVTRGWWWSO
Revenue $6.56B $18.85B $7.28B
Gross profit $2.09B $7.42B $2.00B
Operating income -$301.10M $2.75B $684.85M
Net income -$578.00M $1.98B $560.52M
Free cash flow $454.70M $1.51B $697.14M
EPS (diluted) $-0.85 $39.62 $11.56
Cash & equivalents $306.80M $589.00M $364.19M
Total debt $3.70B $2.41B $1.54B
Shares (diluted) 677.20M 47.20M 38.19M
Enterprise value $10.50B $61.72B $9.38B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAVTRGWWWSO
P/E -20.2x 34.1x 27.9x
P/FCF 25.7x 42.1x 16.5x
P/Operating cash flow 19.6x 29.2x 15.7x
P/S 1.8x 3.4x 1.6x
P/B 2.1x 14.1x 3.3x
P/Tangible book 4.5x 15.0x 3.5x
EV/EBITDA 120.9x 21.8x 15.3x
EV/EBIT -50.1x 23.8x 16.3x
EV/Revenue 2.3x 3.5x 1.5x
EV/FCF 33.2x 43.3x 16.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 25.3x 30.1x 15.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.41 8.37 -2.79

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAVTRGWWWSO
Revenue growth (1Y) -1.6% 7.8% -3.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -2.9% 5.6% 0.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -5.8% 8.2% -3.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -5.6% 5.6% 0.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) -129.0% 2.8% -11.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -33.2% 3.3% -5.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -184.1% -1.4% -10.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -49.9% 2.5% -6.2%
EPS growth (1Y) -184.7% -0.9% -11.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -49.8% 4.1% -10.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -12.4% 5.5% 71.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -11.2% 9.8% 21.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -18.2% 6.6% 76.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -14.2% 3.6% 22.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAVTRGWWWSO
Gross margin 31.8% 39.4% 27.5%
EBITDA margin 1.9% 15.9% 10.0%
Operating margin -4.6% 14.6% 9.4%
Pretax margin -7.2% 14.2% 9.7%
Net margin -8.8% 9.9% 6.1%
FCF margin 6.9% 8.0% 9.6%
Operating cash flow margin 9.1% 11.5% 10.1%
Return on equity -10.3% 44.7% 16.8%
Return on assets -5.0% 20.8% 11.5%
Return on invested capital -3.2% 29.6% 14.9%
Return on capital employed -2.9% 37.1% 18.1%
Asset turnover 0.6x 2.0x 1.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -1.0x 1.1x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.4% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAVTRGWWWSO
Debt / assets 31.9% 25.0% 2.4%
Debt / equity 0.7x 0.5x 0.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 27.2x 0.6x -0.5x
Debt / FCF 8.1x 1.6x 0.2x
Liabilities / assets 51.4% 53.1% 31.7%
Equity / assets 48.6% 46.9% 68.3%
Interest coverage -1.8x – –
Current ratio 1.8x 2.8x 3.2x
Quick ratio 1.0x 1.6x 1.4x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 1.98 13.17 7.08

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAVTRGWWWSO
Dividend yield – 0.7% 4.0%
Net buyback yield 0.0% 1.5% -0.5%
Shareholder yield 0.0% 2.2% 3.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 25.0% 89.1%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 32.8% 71.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 12.5% 11.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 9.1% 11.4%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAVTRGWWWSO
Forward P/E 22.2xFY2026 27.6xFY2026 28.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.78FY2026 $48.95FY2026 $11.39FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -13.3%FY2026 +24.0%FY2026 -7.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +7.7% +8.9% +9.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.42BFY2026 $20.21BFY2026 $7.22BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -2.0%FY2026 +12.6%FY2026 -0.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -1.7% +0.8% +6.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAVTRGWWWSO
Held by institutions 100.0% 75.5% 100.0%
Institutions holding 453 1,364 785
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.5% +3.5% -0.9%
Institutions buying 282 656 341
Institutions selling 109 428 305
Buyers to sellers 2.59 1.53 1.12

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AVTRGWWWSO
AVTR 1.00 0.18 0.00
GWW 0.18 1.00 0.42
WSO 0.00 0.42 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AVTR, GWW and WSO?

W.W. Grainger (GWW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Avantor (AVTR) $11.70B, W.W. Grainger (GWW) $64.13B, Watsco (WSO) $11.69B.

Which stock is cheaper, AVTR, GWW and WSO?

Watsco (WSO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Avantor (AVTR) -20.2x, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 34.3x, Watsco (WSO) 26.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Avantor (AVTR) is cheapest (Avantor (AVTR) 22.2x, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 27.6x, Watsco (WSO) 28.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

W.W. Grainger (GWW) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Avantor (AVTR) -1.6%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) +7.8%, Watsco (WSO) -3.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

W.W. Grainger (GWW) has the highest net margin (Avantor (AVTR) -8.8%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 9.9%, Watsco (WSO) 6.1%). On return on invested capital, W.W. Grainger (GWW) leads (Avantor (AVTR) -3.2%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 29.6%, Watsco (WSO) 14.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year W.W. Grainger (GWW) returned the most: Avantor (AVTR) +11.8%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) +40.0%, Watsco (WSO) -10.0%. Over five years, W.W. Grainger (GWW) compounded fastest (Avantor (AVTR) -14.8%/yr, W.W. Grainger (GWW) +25.3%/yr, Watsco (WSO) +1.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Watsco (WSO) has the highest dividend yield: Avantor (AVTR) 0.00%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 0.01%, Watsco (WSO) 0.04%. Avantor (AVTR) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, W.W. Grainger (GWW) has been the steadiest (Avantor (AVTR) 51.2%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 23.5%, Watsco (WSO) 34.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AVTR, GWW and WSO?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, W.W. Grainger (GWW) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.