W. W. Grainger vs Stanley Black & Decker
Add, change or remove companies; up to four.
KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put W. W. Grainger and Stanley Black & Decker side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- W. W. Grainger is the larger business, with $17.9B of revenue in fiscal 2025 against $15.1B for Stanley Black & Decker.
- W. W. Grainger grew revenue faster (4.5%, against −1.5%).
- W. W. Grainger turned more of its sales into free cash flow (7.4% FCF margin, against 4.6%).
- W. W. Grainger earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (32.3%, against 6.2%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of W. W. Grainger’s earnings: a P/E of 34.2x against 24.2x for Stanley Black & Decker.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 10 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
W. W. Grainger
GWW
9/10
Revenue growth5-year growthGross marginNet marginFCF marginReturn on capitalReturn on equityNet debt / EBITDAShare count change
Stanley Black & Decker
SWK
0/10
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | GWW FY25 | SWK FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $63.4B | $15.0B |
| Revenue | $17.9B | $15.1B |
| Free cash flow | $1.3B | $688M |
| Net income | $1.7B | $402M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 4.5% | −1.5% |
| 5-year growth | 8.8% | 3.5% |
| Share count change | −2.0% | 0.4% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 39.1% | 30.3% |
| Operating margin | 13.9% | — |
| Net margin | 9.5% | 2.7% |
| FCF margin | 7.4% | 4.6% |
| Return on capital | 32.3% | 6.2% |
| Return on equity | 48.1% | 4.5% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $1.9B | $5.6B |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 0.7x | 4.3x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $1.5B | $521M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 34.2x | 24.2x |
| Piotroski F-score | 6 | 6 |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.