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Core & Main vs WESCO International: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

WESCO International leads structurally, with growth as the clearest single gap between the two profiles. Core & Main still has the edge on profitability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. On the market side, WESCO International is in better shape — its trend is intact while Core & Main's trend has broken down. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — WESCO International's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-07-05

The comparison is mainly decided in growth, with the rest of the profile carrying less weight.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Industrial Distribution

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. CNM and WCC share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Core & Main and WESCO International each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
CNM
Core & Main, Inc.
46
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
WCC
WESCO International, Inc.
52
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The clearest separation appears in growth.

Dimension spread: CNM vs WCC Profitability 33 22 Stability 36 29 Valuation 75 81 Growth 31 76 CNM WCC
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +45
#2 Profitability +11
#3 Stability +7
#4 Valuation +6
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for CNM and WCC Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer CNMWCC Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup is mixed: neither company clearly combines the stronger profile with the more supportive price setup.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where CNM and WCC each sit in their own 4.8-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 4.8-YEAR HISTORY CNM Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 24 pct gap WCC Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 72nd 95th
Today CNM sits in the upper-middle of its own 5-year history (72nd percentile), while WCC sits higher in its own history (95th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, CNM is at a historically more favourable entry position than WCC. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
WESCO International, Inc. ranks near the top of the group on growth; Core & Main, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Profitability
Neither side looks especially strong on profitability, though Core & Main, Inc. still ranks somewhat higher.
Growth — Dominant Gap
CNM
31
WCC
76
Gap+45in favour of WCC

One company is still expanding while the other is contracting, which creates a very wide growth split.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Capital efficiency also runs the other way, with a 4.5-point ROIC edge acting as a real counterforce.

What this means for the comparison

Growth answers the question more clearly than the overall score separation does.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the CNM vs WCC comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar growth-driven comparisons

Explore how CNM and WCC each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.