W.W. GRAINGER, INC. vs HENRY SCHEIN, INC., two Distribution stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where GWW and HSIC diverge most: on p/b, GWW reads 15.09 and HSIC reads 2.54; on return on assets, GWW reads 18.8% and HSIC reads 3.5%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's GWW price has a different growth bar priced in than HSIC (+17.5% implied for GWW vs +6.4% for HSIC); 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). What HSIC'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 | GWW | HSIC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1382.23 | $85.72 |
| Market cap | $65.5B | $9.9B |
| Sector | Distribution | Distribution |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +17.5% | +6.4% |
| P/E | 37.2 | 25.9 |
| P/B | 15.09 | 2.54 |
| P/S | 3.57 | 0.74 |
| EV/EBITDA | 22.8 | 11.1 |
| Revenue growth | +6.6% | +5.6% |
| Gross margin | 40.0% | 31.8% |
| Operating margin | 16.7% | 5.4% |
| Net margin | 9.7% | 3.0% |
| Return on equity | 41.0% | 10.1% |
| Return on assets | 18.8% | 3.5% |
| Return on invested capital | 29.0% | 10.5% |
| FCF yield | 2.1% | 4.5% |
| Dividend yield | 0.6% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.56 | 0.27 |
| Current ratio | 2.69 | 1.36 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 10.00 | 2.69 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 9 | 4 / 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.