FERG vs AVTR vs GWW Stock Comparison

Ferguson Enterprises, Avantor and W.W. Grainger Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AVTR Avantor, Inc.
$17.28 +13.2% 1M +12.2% 1Y
Market cap
$11.58B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$6.56B
Div. yield
–
Industrial Distribution Industrials
GWW W.W. Grainger, Inc.
$1,357.78 +9.2% 1M +40.2% 1Y
Market cap
$63.34B
P/E
33.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$18.85B
Div. yield
0.01%
Industrial Distribution Industrials
8 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

W.W. Grainger leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (W.W. Grainger 8, Ferguson Enterprises 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionFERGAVTRGWWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $44.51B $11.58B $63.34B GWW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 21.9x -20.0x 33.9x FERG
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 21.4x 22.2x 27.7x FERG
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +5.2% -1.6% +7.8% GWW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 6.5% -8.8% 9.9% GWW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 21.7% -3.2% 29.6% GWW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.0x 27.2x 0.6x GWW
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -7.9% +12.2% +40.2% GWW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +8.8%/yr -14.1%/yr +26.2%/yr GWW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.9% 51.2% 23.6% GWW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 67/100 16/100 57/100 FERG

Percentile Scorecard

FERGAVTRGWW

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

AxisFERGAVTRGWW
Valuation 44 #26 of 46 18 #38 of 46 7 #43 of 46
Growth 79 #9 of 39 3 #38 of 39 55 #18 of 39
Profitability 87 #6 of 40 21 #32 of 40 97 #2 of 40
Financial Health 48 #26 of 49 31 #34 of 49 69 #16 of 49
Shareholder Returns 74 #9 of 32 7 #30 of 32 58 #14 of 32
Overall 67 16 57
  • FERG ranked among 49 companies in Distribution and Rental
  • AVTR 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

PeriodFERGAVTRGWWSPY
1 month +3.1%+13.2%+9.2% -0.8%
3 months -2.0%+46.9%-2.9% +3.5%
6 months -13.2%+116.8%+17.2% +7.0%
Year to date +3.1%+50.8%+34.6% +12.2%
1 year -7.9%+12.2%+40.2% +13.0%
3 years +51.2%-3.1%+92.1% +86.3%
3 years, per year +14.8%-1.0%+24.3% +23.1%
5 years +52.1%-53.2%+219.8% +68.6%
5 years, per year +8.8%-14.1%+26.2% +11.0%
10 years +333.0%—+554.1% +258.0%
10 years, per year +15.8%—+20.7% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureFERGAVTRGWWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.9%51.2%23.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.8%54.0%21.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.130.830.50 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.260.241.71 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -43.6%-82.4%-24.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.3%-0.1%-3.2% -1.8%
52-week high $267.71$17.29$1,402.04 $779.14
52-week low $214.24$7.41$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.

MultipleFERGAVTRGWW
P/E now vs peer median 22.0xmedian 25.1x -20.2xmedian 25.1x 34.3xmedian 25.1x
P/S now vs peer median 1.4xmedian 1.0x 1.8xmedian 1.0x 3.4xmedian 1.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 15.0xmedian 13.3x 120.8xmedian 13.3x 21.9xmedian 13.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 19.7xmedian 21.5x 25.7xmedian 21.5x 42.4xmedian 21.5x
P/B now vs peer median 7.6xmedian 2.4x 2.1xmedian 2.4x 14.2xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median —median 2.38 0.41median 2.38 8.42median 2.38

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 monthsFERGAVTRGWW
Revenue $31.35B $6.56B $18.85B
Gross profit $9.73B $2.09B $7.42B
Operating income $2.82B -$301.10M $2.75B
Net income $2.03B -$578.00M $1.98B
Free cash flow $2.26B $454.70M $1.51B
EPS (diluted) $10.42 $-0.85 $39.62
Cash & equivalents $820.00M $306.80M $589.00M
Total debt $4.13B $3.70B $2.41B
Shares (diluted) 194.80M 677.20M 47.20M
Enterprise value $41.72B $10.37B $60.93B

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
MetricFERGAVTRGWW
P/E 22.0x -20.2x 34.3x
P/FCF 19.7x 25.7x 42.4x
P/Operating cash flow 17.0x 19.6x 29.4x
P/S 1.4x 1.8x 3.4x
P/B 7.6x 2.1x 14.2x
P/Tangible book 8.5x 4.5x 15.1x
EV/EBITDA 15.0x 120.8x 21.9x
EV/EBIT 17.0x -50.1x 24.0x
EV/Revenue 1.5x 2.3x 3.5x
EV/FCF 21.1x 33.2x 43.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 18.3x 25.3x 30.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) – 0.41 8.42

Growth

14 metrics
MetricFERGAVTRGWW
Revenue growth (1Y) 5.2% -1.6% 7.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) – -2.9% 5.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 7.5% -5.8% 8.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – -5.6% 5.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) 17.6% -129.0% 2.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) – -33.2% 3.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 31.6% -184.1% -1.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) – -49.9% 2.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 34.4% -184.7% -0.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) – -49.8% 4.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 35.9% -12.4% 5.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) – -11.2% 9.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 42.8% -18.2% 6.6%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – -14.2% 3.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricFERGAVTRGWW
Gross margin 31.0% 31.8% 39.4%
EBITDA margin 10.2% 1.9% 15.9%
Operating margin 9.0% -4.6% 14.6%
Pretax margin 8.3% -7.2% 14.2%
Net margin 6.5% -8.8% 9.9%
FCF margin 7.2% 6.9% 8.0%
Operating cash flow margin 8.3% 9.1% 11.5%
Return on equity 34.0% -10.3% 44.7%
Return on assets 11.4% -5.0% 20.8%
Return on invested capital 21.7% -3.2% 29.6%
Return on capital employed 23.4% -2.9% 37.1%
Asset turnover 1.8x 0.6x 2.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x -1.0x 1.1x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% 0.6% 0.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricFERGAVTRGWW
Debt / assets 23.2% 31.9% 25.0%
Debt / equity 0.7x 0.7x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.0x 27.2x 0.6x
Debt / FCF 1.8x 8.1x 1.6x
Liabilities / assets 67.0% 51.4% 53.1%
Equity / assets 33.0% 48.6% 46.9%
Interest coverage – -1.8x –
Current ratio 1.8x 1.8x 2.8x
Quick ratio 0.8x 1.0x 1.6x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.2x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 5.41 1.98 13.21

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricFERGAVTRGWW
Dividend yield 1.6% – 0.7%
Net buyback yield 1.9% 0.0% 1.5%
Shareholder yield 3.4% 0.0% 2.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 25.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 32.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 12.5%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 9.1%

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.

ConsensusFERGAVTRGWW
Forward P/E 21.4xFY2026 22.2xFY2026 27.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $10.70FY2026 $0.78FY2026 $48.95FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +7.6%FY2026 -13.3%FY2026 +24.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +20.5% +7.7% +8.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $34.30BFY2026 $6.42BFY2026 $20.22BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +11.5%FY2026 -2.0%FY2026 +12.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -0.7% -1.7% +0.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersFERGAVTRGWW
Held by institutions 96.3% 100.0% 75.5%
Institutions holding 937 453 1,364
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.1% +3.5% +3.5%
Institutions buying 477 282 656
Institutions selling 343 109 428
Buyers to sellers 1.39 2.59 1.53

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.

FERGAVTRGWW
FERG 1.00 0.15 0.38
AVTR 0.15 1.00 0.18
GWW 0.38 0.18 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, FERG, AVTR and GWW?

W.W. Grainger (GWW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) $44.51B, Avantor (AVTR) $11.58B, W.W. Grainger (GWW) $63.34B.

Which stock is cheaper, FERG, AVTR and GWW?

Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 21.9x, Avantor (AVTR) -20.0x, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 33.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) is cheapest (Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 21.4x, Avantor (AVTR) 22.2x, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 27.7x). 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: Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) +5.2%, Avantor (AVTR) -1.6%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) +7.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

W.W. Grainger (GWW) has the highest net margin (Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 6.5%, Avantor (AVTR) -8.8%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 9.9%). On return on invested capital, W.W. Grainger (GWW) leads (Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 21.7%, Avantor (AVTR) -3.2%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 29.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year W.W. Grainger (GWW) returned the most: Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) -7.9%, Avantor (AVTR) +12.2%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) +40.2%. Over five years, W.W. Grainger (GWW) compounded fastest (Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) +8.8%/yr, Avantor (AVTR) -14.1%/yr, W.W. Grainger (GWW) +26.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 0.00%, Avantor (AVTR) 0.00%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 0.01%. Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) and Avantor (AVTR) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, W.W. Grainger (GWW) has been the steadiest (Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 29.9%, Avantor (AVTR) 51.2%, W.W. Grainger (GWW) 23.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, FERG, AVTR 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 8. 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.