GWW vs WCC vs RS Stock Comparison

W.W. Grainger, Wesco International and Reliance Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
1 more company in this comparison (FERG) Create a free account to keep reading and compare up to 10 companies.
GWW W.W. Grainger, Inc.
$1,489.46 +15.7% 1M +55.8% 1Y
Market cap
$68.98B
P/E
31.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$19.37B
Div. yield
0.01%
Industrial Distribution Industrials
7 wins
WCC Wesco International Inc
$317.49 -15.8% 1M +25.9% 1Y
Market cap
$14.23B
P/E
17.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$26.04B
Div. yield
0.01%
Industrial Distribution Industrials
1 win
RS Reliance, Inc.
$441.81 +8.2% 1M +60.2% 1Y
Market cap
$21.76B
P/E
19.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.37B
Div. yield
0.01%
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, Reliance 4, Wesco International 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionGWWWCCRSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $68.98B $14.23B $21.76B GWW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 31.9x 17.9x 19.6x WCC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 30.4x 17.9x 17.4x RS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.1% +13.5% +24.7% RS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.2% 3.1% 6.4% GWW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 32.3% 9.8% 12.5% GWW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.6x 3.0x 0.8x GWW
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% RS
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +55.8% +25.9% +60.2% RS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +25.8%/yr +18.4%/yr +22.0%/yr GWW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 24.3% 46.3% 25.2% GWW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 62/100 50/100 60/100 GWW

Percentile Scorecard

GWWWCCRS

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

AxisGWWWCCRS
Valuation 9 #42 of 46 56 #21 of 46 51 #23 of 46
Growth 82 #8 of 39 74 #11 of 39 58 #17 of 39
Profitability 98 #2 of 41 38 #26 of 41 60 #17 of 41
Financial Health 69 #16 of 49 27 #36 of 49 85 #8 of 49
Shareholder Returns 52 #17 of 34 55 #16 of 34 46 #19 of 34
Overall 62 50 60
  • GWW ranked among 49 companies in Distribution and Rental
  • WCC ranked among 49 companies in Distribution and Rental
  • RS 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

PeriodGWWWCCRSSPY
1 month +15.7%-15.8%+8.2% -1.0%
3 months +15.9%-14.9%+5.0% -0.4%
6 months +27.3%-12.6%+17.4% +4.5%
Year to date +47.6%+29.8%+52.9% +12.4%
1 year +55.8%+25.9%+60.2% +13.6%
3 years +94.0%+122.3%+66.7% +76.4%
3 years, per year +24.7%+30.5%+18.6% +20.8%
5 years +214.9%+132.5%+170.6% +63.7%
5 years, per year +25.8%+18.4%+22.0% +10.4%
10 years +625.7%+496.2%+548.0% +267.7%
10 years, per year +21.9%+19.6%+20.6% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureGWWWCCRSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 24.3%46.3%25.2% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 21.5%47.1%24.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.532.020.56 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.300.562.39 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -24.8%-37.7%-22.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-17.3%-1.4% -1.6%
52-week high $1,489.46$384.12$448.07 $779.14
52-week low $918.18$244.49$265.93 $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.

MultipleGWWWCCRS
P/E now vs peer median 32.4xmedian 25.1x 19.4xmedian 25.1x 20.4xmedian 25.1x
P/S now vs peer median 3.6xmedian 1.1x 0.6xmedian 1.1x 1.3xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 21.6xmedian 13.2x 12.1xmedian 13.2x 13.2xmedian 13.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 40.6xmedian 20.8x 37.2xmedian 20.8x 45.8xmedian 20.8x
P/B now vs peer median 14.7xmedian 2.5x 2.8xmedian 2.5x 2.9xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 3.96median 2.23 8.13median 2.23 -5.97median 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 monthsGWWWCCRS
Revenue $19.37B $26.04B $17.37B
Gross profit $7.64B $5.60B $4.88B
Operating income $3.06B $1.45B $1.53B
Net income $2.28B $792.20M $1.11B
Free cash flow $1.72B $415.80M $491.90M
EPS (diluted) $45.92 $16.14 $21.55
Cash & equivalents $768.00M $842.50M $246.00M
Total debt $2.69B $6.01B $1.64B
Shares (diluted) 47.10M 49.30M 51.39M
Enterprise value $66.34B $11.28B $20.81B

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
MetricGWWWCCRS
P/E 32.4x 19.4x 20.4x
P/FCF 40.6x 37.2x 45.8x
P/Operating cash flow 31.1x 28.6x 28.1x
P/S 3.6x 0.6x 1.3x
P/B 14.7x 2.8x 2.9x
P/Tangible book 15.8x 4.2x 3.3x
EV/EBITDA 21.6x 12.1x 13.2x
EV/EBIT 23.4x 14.2x 15.6x
EV/Revenue 3.7x 0.8x 1.4x
EV/FCF 41.7x 49.6x 48.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 32.0x 38.1x 29.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.96 8.13 -5.97

Growth

14 metrics
MetricGWWWCCRS
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.1% 13.5% 24.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.0% 5.0% 4.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 10.1% 15.5% 20.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.9% 4.6% 1.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) 22.8% 20.0% 54.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.3% -0.5% -6.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 24.6% 22.4% 51.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 6.4% -2.1% -7.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 27.2% 26.5% 56.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 8.2% 2.4% -3.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 9.3% 64.1% -22.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.8% -13.8% -25.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 39.4% 66.3% -25.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.5% -17.6% -31.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricGWWWCCRS
Gross margin 39.4% 21.5% 28.1%
EBITDA margin 17.1% 6.5% 10.4%
Operating margin 15.8% 5.6% 8.8%
Pretax margin 15.5% 4.0% 8.4%
Net margin 11.2% 3.1% 6.4%
FCF margin 8.9% 1.6% 2.8%
Operating cash flow margin 11.6% 2.1% 4.6%
Return on equity 49.2% 14.9% 14.7%
Return on assets 23.1% 4.3% 9.7%
Return on invested capital 32.3% 9.8% 12.5%
Return on capital employed 40.8% 11.6% 15.2%
Asset turnover 2.0x 1.4x 1.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.0x 0.7x 0.7x
Stock comp / revenue 0.4% 0.3% 0.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricGWWWCCRS
Debt / assets 26.5% 32.0% 14.1%
Debt / equity 0.6x 1.1x 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.6x 3.0x 0.8x
Debt / FCF 1.6x 14.4x 3.3x
Liabilities / assets 53.2% 71.0% 33.4%
Equity / assets 46.8% 29.0% 66.6%
Interest coverage – – 22.6x
Current ratio 2.6x 2.0x 4.1x
Quick ratio 1.5x 1.0x 2.1x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.1x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 13.38 3.16 6.77

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricGWWWCCRS
Dividend yield 0.6% 0.6% 1.1%
Net buyback yield 1.4% 0.5% 2.1%
Shareholder yield 2.0% 1.1% 3.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) 22.3% 12.0% 23.2%
Payout ratio (FCF) 29.5% 22.9% 52.4%
Dividend growth (1Y) 10.7% 10.2% 2.1%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 9.6% 18.2% 3.4%

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.

ConsensusGWWWCCRS
Forward P/E 30.4xFY2026 17.9xFY2026 17.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $48.94FY2026 $17.71FY2026 $25.46FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +24.0%FY2026 +37.2%FY2026 +78.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +8.9% +10.4% +1.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $20.21BFY2026 $27.17BFY2026 $16.78BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +12.6%FY2026 +15.5%FY2026 +17.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.8% +8.7% +10.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersGWWWCCRS
Held by institutions 75.5% 96.3% 82.3%
Institutions holding 1,368 702 691
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.5% -3.7% +1.0%
Institutions buying 660 329 342
Institutions selling 428 278 230
Buyers to sellers 1.54 1.18 1.49

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.

GWWWCCRS
GWW 1.00 0.28 0.27
WCC 0.28 1.00 0.34
RS 0.27 0.34 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, GWW, WCC and RS?

W.W. Grainger (GWW) is the largest by market capitalisation: W.W. Grainger (GWW) $68.98B, Wesco International (WCC) $14.23B, Reliance (RS) $21.76B.

Which stock is cheaper, GWW, WCC and RS?

Wesco International (WCC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (W.W. Grainger (GWW) 31.9x, Wesco International (WCC) 17.9x, Reliance (RS) 19.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Reliance (RS) is cheapest (W.W. Grainger (GWW) 30.4x, Wesco International (WCC) 17.9x, Reliance (RS) 17.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Reliance (RS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: W.W. Grainger (GWW) +9.1%, Wesco International (WCC) +13.5%, Reliance (RS) +24.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

W.W. Grainger (GWW) has the highest net margin (W.W. Grainger (GWW) 11.2%, Wesco International (WCC) 3.1%, Reliance (RS) 6.4%). On return on invested capital, W.W. Grainger (GWW) leads (W.W. Grainger (GWW) 32.3%, Wesco International (WCC) 9.8%, Reliance (RS) 12.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Reliance (RS) returned the most: W.W. Grainger (GWW) +55.8%, Wesco International (WCC) +25.9%, Reliance (RS) +60.2%. Over five years, W.W. Grainger (GWW) compounded fastest (W.W. Grainger (GWW) +25.8%/yr, Wesco International (WCC) +18.4%/yr, Reliance (RS) +22.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Reliance (RS) has the highest dividend yield: W.W. Grainger (GWW) 0.01%, Wesco International (WCC) 0.01%, Reliance (RS) 0.01%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, W.W. Grainger (GWW) has been the steadiest (W.W. Grainger (GWW) 24.3%, Wesco International (WCC) 46.3%, Reliance (RS) 25.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, GWW, WCC and RS?

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.