BCC vs FERG vs GWW Stock Comparison

Boise Cascade, Ferguson Enterprises and W.W. Grainger Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
1 more company in this comparison (WSO) Create a free account to keep reading and compare up to 10 companies.
BCC BOISE CASCADE Co
$77.95 +4.0% 1M +10.7% 1Y
Market cap
$2.69B
P/E
22.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.59B
Div. yield
0.01%
Industrial Distribution Industrials
4 wins
GWW W.W. Grainger, Inc.
$1,489.46 +15.7% 1M +55.8% 1Y
Market cap
$69.80B
P/E
32.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$19.37B
Div. yield
0.01%
Industrial Distribution Industrials
7 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionBCCFERGGWWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $2.69B $47.01B $69.80B GWW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 22.3x 23.2x 32.3x BCC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 20.9x 23.3x 30.4x BCC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +1.2% +5.2% +9.1% GWW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 1.8% 6.5% 11.2% GWW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.3% 21.7% 32.3% GWW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.2x 1.0x 0.6x BCC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.01% BCC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +10.7% +1.5% +55.8% GWW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +2.3%/yr +10.2%/yr +25.8%/yr GWW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 38.3% 30.2% 24.3% GWW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 56/100 64/100 62/100 FERG

Percentile Scorecard

BCCFERGGWW

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

AxisBCCFERGGWW
Valuation 96 #3 of 46 38 #29 of 46 9 #42 of 46
Growth 8 #36 of 39 71 #12 of 39 82 #8 of 39
Profitability 48 #22 of 41 88 #6 of 41 98 #2 of 41
Financial Health 79 #11 of 49 50 #25 of 49 69 #16 of 49
Shareholder Returns 49 #18 of 34 73 #10 of 34 52 #17 of 34
Overall 56 64 62
  • BCC ranked among 49 companies in Distribution and Rental
  • FERG ranked among 49 companies in Distribution and Rental
  • GWW 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

PeriodBCCFERGGWWSPY
1 month +4.0%+11.4%+15.7% -1.0%
3 months -8.2%-2.6%+15.9% -0.4%
6 months +5.0%-1.4%+27.3% +4.5%
Year to date +5.9%+11.6%+47.6% +12.4%
1 year +10.7%+1.5%+55.8% +13.6%
3 years -25.3%+58.0%+94.0% +76.4%
3 years, per year -9.3%+16.5%+24.7% +20.8%
5 years +11.8%+62.4%+214.9% +63.7%
5 years, per year +2.3%+10.2%+25.8% +10.4%
10 years +321.4%+381.2%+625.7% +267.7%
10 years, per year +15.5%+17.0%+21.9% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureBCCFERGGWWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 38.3%30.2%24.3% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.3%30.9%21.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.951.100.53 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.280.052.30 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -57.3%-43.6%-24.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.4%-7.2%0.0% -1.6%
52-week high $91.03$267.71$1,489.46 $779.14
52-week low $65.47$214.24$918.18 $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.

MultipleBCCFERGGWW
P/E now vs peer median 22.7xmedian 25.1x 23.8xmedian 25.1x 32.4xmedian 25.1x
P/S now vs peer median 0.4xmedian 1.1x 1.5xmedian 1.1x 3.6xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 7.9xmedian 13.2x 16.1xmedian 13.2x 21.6xmedian 13.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 20.4xmedian 20.8x 21.3xmedian 20.8x 40.6xmedian 20.8x
P/B now vs peer median 1.3xmedian 2.5x 8.2xmedian 2.5x 14.7xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median -0.64median 2.23 —median 2.23 3.96median 2.23

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 monthsBCCFERGGWW
Revenue $6.59B $31.35B $19.37B
Gross profit $1.10B $9.73B $7.64B
Operating income $183.55M $2.82B $3.06B
Net income $120.31M $2.03B $2.28B
Free cash flow $133.00M $2.26B $1.72B
EPS (diluted) $3.44 $10.42 $45.92
Cash & equivalents $385.15M $820.00M $768.00M
Total debt $448.67M $4.13B $2.69B
Shares (diluted) 35.00M 194.80M 47.10M
Enterprise value $1.18B $44.22B $67.16B

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
MetricBCCFERGGWW
P/E 22.7x 23.8x 32.4x
P/FCF 20.4x 21.3x 40.6x
P/Operating cash flow 9.8x 18.4x 31.1x
P/S 0.4x 1.5x 3.6x
P/B 1.3x 8.2x 14.7x
P/Tangible book 1.4x 9.2x 15.8x
EV/EBITDA 7.9x 16.1x 21.6x
EV/EBIT 15.2x 18.3x 23.4x
EV/Revenue 0.4x 1.6x 3.7x
EV/FCF 20.9x 22.8x 41.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 10.0x 19.7x 32.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -0.64 – 3.96

Growth

14 metrics
MetricBCCFERGGWW
Revenue growth (1Y) 1.2% 5.2% 9.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -1.1% – 6.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -1.9% 7.5% 10.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -8.5% – 5.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) -29.4% 17.6% 22.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -34.7% – 6.3%
Net income growth (1Y) -37.7% 31.6% 24.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -37.9% – 6.4%
EPS growth (1Y) -33.2% 34.4% 27.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -35.1% – 8.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 27.4% 35.9% 9.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -28.2% – 7.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 309.3% 42.8% 39.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -39.4% – 6.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricBCCFERGGWW
Gross margin 16.7% 31.0% 39.4%
EBITDA margin 5.4% 10.2% 17.1%
Operating margin 2.8% 9.0% 15.8%
Pretax margin 2.5% 8.3% 15.5%
Net margin 1.8% 6.5% 11.2%
FCF margin 2.0% 7.2% 8.9%
Operating cash flow margin 4.2% 8.3% 11.6%
Return on equity 5.9% 34.0% 49.2%
Return on assets 3.5% 11.4% 23.1%
Return on invested capital 5.3% 21.7% 32.3%
Return on capital employed 6.7% 23.4% 40.8%
Asset turnover 1.9x 1.8x 2.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.3x 1.3x 1.0x
Stock comp / revenue 0.2% 0.3% 0.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricBCCFERGGWW
Debt / assets 13.2% 23.2% 26.5%
Debt / equity 0.2x 0.7x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.2x 1.0x 0.6x
Debt / FCF 3.4x 1.8x 1.6x
Liabilities / assets 39.8% 67.0% 53.2%
Equity / assets 60.2% 33.0% 46.8%
Interest coverage 7.0x – –
Current ratio 2.8x 1.8x 2.6x
Quick ratio 1.3x 0.8x 1.5x
Cash ratio 0.6x 0.1x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 4.33 5.60 13.38

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricBCCFERGGWW
Dividend yield 1.1% 1.4% 0.6%
Net buyback yield 6.8% 1.7% 1.4%
Shareholder yield 7.9% 3.2% 2.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) 28.4% – 22.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) 25.7% – 29.5%
Dividend growth (1Y) -2.2% – 10.7%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -43.2% – 9.6%

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.

ConsensusBCCFERGGWW
Forward P/E 20.9xFY2026 23.3xFY2026 30.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.73FY2026 $10.68FY2026 $48.94FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +5.7%FY2026 +7.4%FY2026 +24.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +29.2% +20.5% +8.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.80BFY2026 $34.30BFY2026 $20.21BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +6.3%FY2026 +11.5%FY2026 +12.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +4.2% -0.7% +0.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersBCCFERGGWW
Held by institutions 96.0% 96.3% 75.5%
Institutions holding 333 940 1,368
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.4% +2.1% +3.5%
Institutions buying 164 479 660
Institutions selling 128 344 428
Buyers to sellers 1.28 1.39 1.54

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.

BCCFERGGWW
BCC 1.00 0.58 0.39
FERG 0.58 1.00 0.39
GWW 0.39 0.39 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, BCC, FERG and GWW?

W.W. Grainger (GWW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Boise Cascade (BCC) $2.69B, Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) $47.01B, W.W. Grainger (GWW) $69.80B.

Which stock is cheaper, BCC, FERG and GWW?

Boise Cascade (BCC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Boise Cascade (BCC) 22.3x, Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 23.2x, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 32.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Boise Cascade (BCC) is cheapest (Boise Cascade (BCC) 20.9x, Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 23.3x, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 30.4x). 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: Boise Cascade (BCC) +1.2%, Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) +5.2%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) +9.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

W.W. Grainger (GWW) has the highest net margin (Boise Cascade (BCC) 1.8%, Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 6.5%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 11.2%). On return on invested capital, W.W. Grainger (GWW) leads (Boise Cascade (BCC) 5.3%, Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 21.7%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 32.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year W.W. Grainger (GWW) returned the most: Boise Cascade (BCC) +10.7%, Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) +1.5%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) +55.8%. Over five years, W.W. Grainger (GWW) compounded fastest (Boise Cascade (BCC) +2.3%/yr, Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) +10.2%/yr, W.W. Grainger (GWW) +25.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Boise Cascade (BCC) has the highest dividend yield: Boise Cascade (BCC) 0.01%, Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 0.00%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 0.01%. Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, W.W. Grainger (GWW) has been the steadiest (Boise Cascade (BCC) 38.3%, Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 30.2%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 24.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, BCC, FERG and GWW?

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.