GWW vs MSM
GWW: W.W. Grainger is a broad-line distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products serving over 4.6 million customers across North America, Japan, and select markets through a dual high-touch and endless assortment model. 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 2026-07-22 close | $1,354.01 | $127.28 | |
| Market cap as of 2026-07-23 | $64.7B | $7.1B | |
| P/E as of 2026-07-23 | 36.29 | 30.58 | MSM lower |
| PEG as of 2026-07-23 | 3.55 | 1.85 | MSM lower |
| Net margin as of 2026-07-23 | +9.7% | +5.9% | GWW higher |
| Gross margin as of 2026-07-23 | +39.1% | +40.8% | MSM higher |
| Operating margin as of 2026-07-23 | +14.2% | +8.5% | GWW higher |
| ROE as of 2026-07-23 | +47.8% | +16.6% | GWW higher |
| ROA as of 2026-07-23 | +19.7% | +9.3% | GWW higher |
| Debt / equity as of 2026-07-23 | 0.61 | 0.36 | MSM lower |
| Revenue growth (YoY) as of 2026-07-23 | +6.6% | +4.4% | GWW higher |
| Revenue CAGR (3y) SEC XBRL | +5.6% | +0.7% | GWW higher |
| Dividend yield as of 2026-07-23 | +0.7% | +2.7% | MSM higher |
| Dividend streak (yrs) SEC XBRL | 5 | 3 | GWW higher |
| Beta as of 2026-07-23 | 1.05 | 0.83 | |
| 1-year return as of 2026-07-22 close | +30.8% | +46.1% | MSM higher |
Fundamentals: Finnhub, as of 2026-07-23. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-07-22.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & Finnhub, shown with their as-of date; "Edge" cells are a pure numeric comparison, not a recommendation.