Ferguson Enterprises Inc. vs W.W. GRAINGER, INC., two Distribution stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where FERG and GWW diverge most: on p/s, FERG reads 1.44 and GWW reads 3.57; on dividend yield, FERG reads 1.4% and GWW reads 0.6%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's FERG price has a different growth bar priced in than GWW (+9.6% implied for FERG vs +17.5% for GWW); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What GWW's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | FERG | GWW |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $234.31 | $1382.23 |
| Market cap | $45.6B | $65.5B |
| Sector | Distribution | Distribution |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +9.6% | +17.5% |
| P/E | 22.0 | 37.2 |
| P/B | 7.77 | 15.09 |
| P/S | 1.44 | 3.57 |
| EV/EBITDA | 14.8 | 22.8 |
| Revenue growth | +5.0% | +6.6% |
| Gross margin | 31.0% | 40.0% |
| Operating margin | 8.2% | 16.7% |
| Net margin | 6.6% | 9.7% |
| Return on equity | 35.6% | 41.0% |
| Return on assets | 11.8% | 18.8% |
| Return on invested capital | 21.5% | 29.0% |
| FCF yield | 4.5% | 2.1% |
| Dividend yield | 1.4% | 0.6% |
| Debt / equity | 0.70 | 0.56 |
| Current ratio | 1.78 | 2.69 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 5.08 | 10.00 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 8 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.