W.W. Grainger, Inc. · GWW · FY2026 Q1 · Calendar Q2 2026
Grainger Beats Estimates, Raises Guidance on 12% Organic Growth
Grainger delivered a strong start to FY2026, beating consensus on both EPS and revenue while raising full-year guidance. Organic growth accelerated to 12.2% from 4.5% reported in FY2025, driven by broad-based demand recovery, price realization, and share gains across both the High-Touch Solutions and Endless Assortment segments. The 10% dividend increase extends a 55-year consecutive growth streak. Management remains confident, though Q2 margins are expected to compress temporarily due to fuel cost leakage, private-label inventory timing, and seasonality before recovering later in the year.
Company context
Snapshot as of publicationW.W. Grainger, Inc. stands as a significant global supplier of maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) supplies and related services. Its market presence spans several international regions, including the United States, Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The company structures its operations into two principal divisions: High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. Grainger's extensive product offerings cover essential categories such as safety and security provisions, equipment for material handling and storage, plumbing and pump components, cleaning and facility upkeep items, and…
Earnings scorecard
Reported versus consensusEarnings History
Analyst 52W Price Targets
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Jul 29, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.
Firm-level rating actions
FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.
| Firm | Rating | Prior rating | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RBC Capital | Sector Perform | Sector Perform | Maintain | Jul 16, 2026 |
| Stephens & Co. | Equal Weight | Overweight | Downgrade | Jul 14, 2026 |
| Wolfe Research | Peer Perform | Underperform | Upgrade | Jul 9, 2026 |
| Barclays | Underweight | Underweight | Maintain | Jun 23, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | May 27, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Market Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Apr 21, 2026 |
| JP Morgan | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Feb 6, 2026 |
| Oppenheimer | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Feb 4, 2026 |
| Loop Capital | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Aug 4, 2025 |
| William Blair | Outperform | Market Perform | Upgrade | Mar 10, 2025 |
| Baird | Outperform | Neutral | Upgrade | Oct 16, 2024 |
| Erste Group | Hold | Buy | Downgrade | Jun 14, 2024 |
| UBS | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Mar 14, 2024 |
| Jefferies | Hold | Buy | Downgrade | Dec 20, 2023 |
| Atlantic Equities | Neutral | Overweight | Downgrade | Nov 15, 2022 |
| Wells Fargo | Underweight | Underweight | Maintain | Apr 29, 2022 |
| Raymond James | Market Perform | Outperform | Downgrade | Aug 2, 2021 |
| Deutsche Bank | Hold | Hold | Maintain | May 3, 2021 |
| Gordon Haskett | Hold | Underperform | Upgrade | Jul 9, 2020 |
| Longbow Research | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Jun 2, 2020 |
| Buckingham Research | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Feb 7, 2020 |
| Buckingham | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Feb 7, 2020 |
| Gabelli & Co. | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | Feb 3, 2020 |
| BMO Capital | Market Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Apr 23, 2019 |
| Macquarie | Outperform | Neutral | Upgrade | Jan 15, 2019 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Apr 23, 2018 |
| Stifel | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Apr 23, 2018 |
| Credit Suisse | Underperform | Underperform | Maintain | Jan 25, 2018 |
| Northcoast Research | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jul 25, 2017 |
| Goldman Sachs | Sell | Sell | Maintain | Apr 18, 2016 |
| Sterne Agee CRT | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Mar 22, 2016 |
| KeyBanc | Equal Weight | Sector Weight | Maintain | Dec 18, 2015 |
| Susquehanna | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jul 21, 2015 |
| FBR Capital | Market Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Oct 17, 2014 |
| Citigroup | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Apr 15, 2014 |
| Wunderlich Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jan 22, 2014 |
| Wunderlich | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jan 22, 2014 |
| BB&T Capital | Hold | Buy | Downgrade | Mar 13, 2013 |
Named analyst price targets
Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $1,366.4. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RBC Capital | Analyst unavailable | $1,460 | $1,389.73 | +6.9% | Jul 16, 2026 |
| Redburn Partners | William Blunt | $1,280 | $1,375.76 | -6.3% | Jul 13, 2026 |
| Barclays | Guy Hardwick | $1,166 | $1,341.42 | -14.7% | Jun 23, 2026 |
| D.A. Davidson | Analyst unavailable | $1,250 | $1,313.92 | -8.5% | Jun 15, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Christopher Snyder | $1,300 | $1,249.22 | -4.9% | May 27, 2026 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $1,171 | $1,226.09 | -14.3% | May 12, 2026 |
| Stephens | Tommy Moll | $1,355 | $1,233.71 | -0.8% | May 11, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Analyst unavailable | $1,337 | $1,222.84 | -2.2% | May 8, 2026 |
| Robert W. Baird | Analyst unavailable | $1,365 | $1,227.37 | -0.1% | May 8, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Analyst unavailable | $1,125 | $1,163.1 | -17.7% | Apr 21, 2026 |
| Oppenheimer | Analyst unavailable | $1,300 | $1,168.92 | -4.9% | Feb 4, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Analyst unavailable | $1,207 | $1,168.06 | -11.7% | Feb 4, 2026 |
| Robert W. Baird | David Manthey | $1,245 | $1,155 | -8.9% | Feb 4, 2026 |
| Barclays | Guy Hardwick | $1,044 | $1,155 | -23.6% | Feb 4, 2026 |
| Oppenheimer | Analyst unavailable | $1,250 | $1,049.97 | -8.5% | Jan 27, 2026 |
| Wolfe Research | Analyst unavailable | $1,081 | $959.07 | -20.9% | Dec 9, 2025 |
| Morgan Stanley | Christopher Snyder | $1,100 | $938.52 | -19.5% | Nov 25, 2025 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $963 | $958.82 | -29.5% | Oct 7, 2025 |
| Loop Capital Markets | Analyst unavailable | $950 | $938.27 | -30.5% | Aug 4, 2025 |
| RBC Capital | Analyst unavailable | $1,007 | $938.27 | -26.3% | Aug 4, 2025 |
| Stephens | Analyst unavailable | $1,200 | $938.27 | -12.2% | Aug 4, 2025 |
| Wolfe Research | Analyst unavailable | $966 | $973.41 | -29.3% | Apr 3, 2025 |
| Loop Capital Markets | Analyst unavailable | $1,100 | $985.06 | -19.5% | Mar 5, 2025 |
| Robert W. Baird | David Manthey | $1,230 | $1,085.57 | -10.0% | Oct 16, 2024 |
| Bank of America Securities | Sabrina Abrams | $925 | $1,033.24 | -32.3% | Oct 7, 2024 |
| CFRA | Jonathan Sakraida | $950 | $1,000.52 | -30.5% | Sep 13, 2024 |
| Morgan Stanley | Christopher Snyder | $990 | $938.48 | -27.5% | Sep 6, 2024 |
| Robert W. Baird | David Manthey | $975 | $939.12 | -28.6% | May 29, 2024 |
| Loop Capital Markets | Chris Dankert | $975 | $929.26 | -28.6% | Apr 29, 2024 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $537 | $680.95 | -60.7% | Feb 3, 2023 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $490 | $552.48 | -64.1% | Jan 6, 2023 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $695 | $594.56 | -49.1% | Nov 29, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Joshua Pokrzywinski | $448 | $549.6 | -67.2% | Aug 1, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $448 | $549.52 | -67.2% | Aug 1, 2022 |
| RBC Capital | Deane Dray | $422 | $538.12 | -69.1% | Aug 1, 2022 |
| Stephens | Analyst unavailable | $600 | $537.16 | -56.1% | Aug 1, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $421 | $457.4 | -69.2% | Jul 15, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $449 | $483.6 | -67.1% | May 31, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $474 | $511.29 | -65.3% | Apr 29, 2022 |
| RBC Capital | Analyst unavailable | $450 | $514 | -67.1% | Apr 29, 2022 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $475 | $514.93 | -65.2% | Apr 29, 2022 |
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What changed
EPS of $11.65 beat the $10.21 consensus estimate by 14.1%. Revenue of $4.74B exceeded the $4.58B estimate by 3.6%. Operating margin expanded to 16.7% from 15% in FY2025. Full-year 2026 guidance was raised: organic sales growth to 9.5-12% (from 6.5-9%) with EPS of $44.25-$46.25. The dividend was increased 10%, marking the 55th consecutive year of dividend growth. The stock reacted with a +5.5% market move on 2.5x baseline volume, followed by continued upward drift of +5.3%.
Guidance delta
Guidance was raised from the prior quarter's maintained outlook. FY2026 organic sales growth guidance increased from 6.5-9% to 9.5-12%, and EPS guidance was introduced at $44.25-$46.25. Q1 operating margin of 16.7% exceeded the prior 15.4-15.9% range, though management flagged a U-shaped margin pattern with expected Q2 compression from fuel cost leakage, private-label inventory timing, and seasonality.
Key takeaways
- Q1 sales grew 10.1% (12.2% organic) with 16.7% operating margin and EPS up 18%
- Full-year 2026 guidance raised to 9.5-12% organic growth and $44.25-$46.25 EPS
- Dividend increased 10% for the 55th consecutive year of dividend growth
- High-Touch Solutions and Endless Assortment both contributed, with Zoro U.S. and MonotaRO driving segment growth
- Q2 margin compression expected from fuel cost leakage, private-label inventory timing, and seasonal effects
Management priorities
- Continue expanding distribution footprint including Portland launch and Houston expansion
- Invest in website enhancements and AI tools for productivity and customer experience
- Maintain marketing and salesforce investment throughout 2026
- Monitor and respond to tariff, fuel, and supply-chain developments
- Explore additional pricing actions as needed to preserve margin
Related earnings events
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Methodology
Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.
Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.
Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.
By FN2 Research · Updated . For educational purposes only; not investment advice.