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GWW · W.W. Grainger, Inc.

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$1,322.64 +1.26 (+0.10%) At close · Aug 14
Market Cap
$62.30B
Shares
47.10M
All earnings calls

Earnings call · FY2026 Q1

W.W. Grainger, Inc. Q1 FY2026 Earnings Call

W.W. Grainger, Inc. Q1 FY2026 Earnings Call

Concluded May 7, 2026
May 7, 2026 62 turns
Period
FY2026 Q1
Runtime
Sources
3 artifacts

Executive readout · one minute

What matters this quarter

Grainger reported Q1 2026 sales of $4.7B, up 10.1% (12.2% daily organic constant currency), with operating margin of 16.7% (+110 bps) and diluted EPS of $11.65 (+18.2%), and is raising its full-year 2026 guidance, including a $44.25–$46.25 diluted adjusted EPS range.

Margin and Cost Outlook 32 Segment Results 16 MRO Market Demand 9 Sales Force and Distribution Investment 7 Quarterly Financial Performance 6 Culture and Workplace Recognition 5

Management tone

Confident

Net tone +75 · low hedging

Grounding quotes
  • “We are off to a strong start in 2026 with both our business segments performing well.”
  • “We delivered a strong quarter of profitable growth, meaningfully outpacing the expectations we communicated back in February.”
  • “Overall, the quarter finished ahead of expectations; we are increasing our 2026 guidance to reflect the strong start and continued momentum we are seeing.”
  • “We feel good about the way things are going. There is uncertainty in the world, but our job is to perform through that uncertainty and to make sure we are building for the future.”

Forward guidance

9 guided metrics

Management's latest ranges and targets are included below.

Research coverage

3 live sources

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Revenue $4.74B +10.1% YoY
Diluted EPS $11.65 +18.2% YoY
Gross margin 40.0% +0.3 pp YoY
Net income $555.00M +15.9% YoY

Research materials

Open the source you need; every reader stays inside this workspace.

Key takeaways

What improved, and what deserves a closer read.

Constructive signals

  • Sales of $4.7B rose 10.1% reported and 12.2% on a daily organic constant currency basis, described as meaningfully outpacing February expectations
  • Operating margin expanded 110 bps to 16.7% and gross margin rose 30 bps to 40.0%
  • Diluted EPS of $11.65, up 18.2% year over year
  • Endless Assortment segment sales up 19.6% reported / 21.9% daily organic constant currency, with MonotaRO +24.3% local and Zoro U.S. +18.7% daily
  • Operating cash flow of $739M enabled $345M returned to shareholders and a 10% quarterly dividend increase (55th consecutive year of dividend increases)
  • High-Touch Solutions sales up 10.5% with broad-based acceleration across manufacturing, government, and contractor end markets

Risks & pressure points

  • Guidance is for a sequential operating margin decline into the low-15% range in Q2, driven by ~60 bps normal seasonality, ~20 bps of private-label cost pressure rolling from Q1, and fuel cost leakage the company cannot yet recoup via pricing
  • High-Touch Solutions gross margin of 42.6% was helped by cost-timing favorability and lower sell-through of certain private-label SKUs; company expects that cost pressure to hit in Q2
  • LIFO inventory valuation headwinds continued in the quarter
  • Effective tax rate rose to 25.1% from 23.9% in Q1 2025, partly from 2026 tax legislation and lower tax credit activity
  • Management cited ongoing tariff uncertainty and broader geopolitical climate as a headwind, and flagged free partial-shipping terms with large customers as a short-term headwind
  • Cromwell / Zoro U.K. exits are a ~210 bps drag on total company reported sales (and ~110 bps on Endless Assortment)

Key moments

Jump directly to management's words in the synchronized transcript.

“EPS is expected to be between $44.25 and $46.25, representing nearly 15% year-over-year growth at the midpoint. This represents a $1.75 improvement at the midpoint versus the prior guidance range.” Speaker 3, CFO

Forward guidance

From the 8-K filed May 8, 2026.

Metric Guided
Net Sales table
2026
$19.2B – $19.6B
Sales growth table
2026
6.7% – 9.1%
Daily, organic constant currency sales growth table
2026
9.5% – 12%
Gross Profit Margin table
2026
39.2% – 39.5%
Operating Margin table
2026
15.6% – 16%
Diluted Earnings per Share table
2026
$44.25 – $46.25
Operating Cash Flow table
2026
$2.2B – $2.4B
High-Touch Solutions - N.A. Segment Operating Margin table
2026
17% – 17.4%
Endless Assortment Segment Operating Margin table
2026
10.2% – 10.6%

Quarter detail

How the reported period landed and where the business moved.

Revenue · segments

High Touch Solutions NA$3.75B +10.5% YoY
Endless Assortment$990.00M +19.6% YoY

Capital returned

Buybacks
$237.00M
Shares repurchased
217,626
Dividend / share
$2.49
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