GWW vs MSM
GWW: W. W. Grainger is a premier broad-line distributor of mission-critical maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) supplies for businesses and institutions worldwide. MSM: MSC Industrial Direct is a leading distributor of metalworking fluid coolants, cutting tools, safety equipment, and other maintenance/repair/operations (MRO) supplies to manufacturing and industrial customers worldwide.
Side-by-side fundamentals
| Metric | GWW | MSM | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price as of 2026-10-08 close | $1,268.67 | $128.92 | |
| Market cap | $59.8B | $7.2B | |
| P/E as of 2026-10-08 | 32.22 | 31.20 | MSM lower |
| PEG as of 2026-10-08, 3-year EPS CAGR to FY2025 | 5.75 | n/a | |
| Net margin FY2025, SEC XBRL | +9.5% | +5.3% | GWW higher |
| Gross margin FY2025, SEC XBRL | +39.1% | +40.8% | MSM higher |
| Operating margin FY2025, SEC XBRL | +13.9% | +8.0% | GWW higher |
| ROE FY2025, SEC XBRL | +45.7% | +14.4% | GWW higher |
| ROA FY2025, SEC XBRL | +19.0% | +8.1% | GWW higher |
| Debt / equity as of 2026-09-03 | 0.58 | 0.36 | MSM lower |
| Revenue growth (YoY) as of 2026-09-03 | +7.8% | +4.4% | GWW higher |
| Revenue CAGR (3y) SEC XBRL | +5.6% | +0.7% | GWW higher |
| Dividend yield as of 2026-09-03 | +0.8% | +2.8% | MSM higher |
| Dividend streak (yrs) SEC XBRL | 17 | 3 | GWW higher |
| Beta as of 2026-09-03 | 0.65 | 0.79 | |
| 1-year return as of 2026-10-08 close | +31.2% | +44.0% | MSM higher |
Fundamentals: SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-03 for the rest. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-10-08.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date; "Edge" cells are a pure numeric comparison, not a recommendation.