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Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Industrial Distribution

W.W. Grainger vs Watsco: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

W.W. Grainger holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across growth and stability. Watsco does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. The market setup broadly confirms the structural lead — W.W. Grainger holds the more constructive position. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — W.W. Grainger'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 2026-05-17

The clearest separation starts in growth, but stability adds another real layer to the result. The overall score gap is 28 points in favour of W.W. Grainger, Inc..

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Industrial Distribution

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

For a similarity-based comparison, see how W.W. Grainger and Watsco each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
GWW
W.W. Grainger, Inc.
68
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
WSO
Watsco, Inc.
40
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

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

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: GWW vs WSO Profitability 80 44 Stability 79 40 Valuation 53 53 Growth 62 13 GWW WSO
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +49
#2 Stability +39
#3 Profitability +36
#4 Valuation
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for GWW and WSO Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer GWWWSO Relative valuation Structural strength

Neither company combines the stronger profile with the cheaper valuation.

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

Entry today — historical context

Where GWW and WSO each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY GWW Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 30 pct gap WSO Neutral · near norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 69th
Today WSO sits in the upper-middle of its own 5-year history (69th percentile), while GWW sits higher in its own history (99th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, WSO is at a historically more favourable entry position than GWW. 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
On growth, W.W. Grainger, Inc. is positioned higher in the group, while Watsco, Inc. is closer to the middle.
Stability
Both rank well on stability, but W.W. Grainger, Inc. still holds a clear edge.
Growth — Dominant Gap
GWW
62
WSO
13
Gap+49in favour of GWW

Earnings growth is one contributing factor within the growth lead.

What else supports the lead

Stability still reinforces the same direction, which makes the lead look broader across the profile.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and stability, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the GWW vs WSO comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar growth-and-stability comparisons

Explore how GWW and WSO 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.