W.W. Grainger (GWW) Return on Sales [ROS] (2009 - 2026)
W.W. Grainger's Return on Sales [ROS] came in at 15.98% for Q3 2026, up 5.01 percentage points from 10.97% a year earlier but down 0.09 percentage points from the prior quarter.
W.W. Grainger (GWW) Return on Sales [ROS] (2009 - 2026) Analysis & Trends
Over the trailing twelve months to Sep 30, 2026, W.W. Grainger reported Return on Sales [ROS] of 15.81%, up 1.76 percentage points year-over-year; for FY2025, it came in at 13.91%, down 1.45 percentage points from FY2024.
- Return on Sales [ROS] carries a five-year change of +5.27 percentage points (FY2020 to FY2025).
- Going back by year, Return on Sales [ROS] was 15.36% in FY2024 (-0.21 pp), 15.57% in FY2023 (+1.02 pp), 14.55% in FY2022 (+2.67 pp) and 11.88% in FY2021 (+3.24 pp).
- The five-year range for quarterly Return on Sales [ROS] is 10.97% (Q3 2025) to 16.72% (Q1 2026).
- Year-over-year, Return on Sales [ROS] has increased for three consecutive quarters, with an average year-over-year change of +0.34 percentage points over the last eight quarters.
- The fastest year-over-year change in Return on Sales [ROS] over five years came in Q3 2026 (a gain of 5.01 percentage points), and the weakest in Q3 2025 (a drop of 4.66 percentage points).
- Business Quant data shows GWW's Return on Sales [ROS] at 16.07% (Q2 2026), 16.72% (Q1 2026) and 14.33% (Q4 2025) in the three quarters before Q3 2026.
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | ROS (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | W.W. Grainger | 69.71 Bn | 67.47 Bn | 2.01 Bn | 15.98% |
| 2 | United Rentals | 69.67 Bn | 68.79 Bn | 2.05 Bn | 28.80% |
| 3 | Fastenal | 63.32 Bn | 62.32 Bn | 1.10 Bn | 21.55% |
| 4 | Ferguson Enterprises | 49.80 Bn | 47.02 Bn | 2.32 Bn | 8.19% |
| 5 | Sunbelt Rentals Holdings | 33.71 Bn | 33.59 Bn | 1.25 Bn | 22.18% |
| 6 | Reliance | 21.79 Bn | 20.85 Bn | 1.45 Bn | 10.59% |
| 7 | Wesco International | 15.66 Bn | 12.70 Bn | 1.57 Bn | 6.24% |
| 8 | Qxo | 13.09 Bn | 4.38 Bn | 1.38 Bn | 0.04% |
| 9 | Watsco | 11.10 Bn | 9.17 Bn | 586.29 Mn | 10.14% |
| 10 | Applied Industrial Technologies | 10.86 Bn | 10.75 Bn | 392.21 Mn | 11.12% |
Historic Data
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | 15.98% |
| Jun 30, 2026 | 16.07% |
| Mar 31, 2026 | 16.72% |
| Dec 31, 2025 | 14.33% |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 10.97% |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 14.89% |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 15.61% |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 14.95% |
| Sep 30, 2024 | 15.63% |
| Jun 30, 2024 | 15.05% |
| Mar 31, 2024 | 15.80% |
| Dec 31, 2023 | 13.94% |
| Sep 30, 2023 | 15.85% |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 15.81% |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 16.62% |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 14.31% |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 15.30% |
| Jun 30, 2022 | 13.92% |
| Mar 31, 2022 | 14.64% |
| Dec 31, 2021 | 12.41% |
W.W. Grainger Return on Sales [ROS] API
Pull this series into your own models, spreadsheets and apps with the Business Quant
Historical Metrics API. The request below matches the chart above — change the
frequency, period or values and it follows. Swap YOUR_API_KEY for your own key.
https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=return-on-sales-%5Bros%5D&ticker=GWW&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY
import requests
url = "https://data.businessquant.com/historic"
params = {"slug": "return-on-sales-[ros]", "ticker": "GWW", "period": "max", "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY"}
data = requests.get(url, params=params).json()
const res = await fetch("https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=return-on-sales-%5Bros%5D&ticker=GWW&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY");
const data = await res.json();