Grainger Ready to Report Q2 Earnings: What to Expect From the Stock?

GWW heads into the Q2 earnings release with y/y growth in sales and EPS expected, as digital investments, customer growth and supply-chain initiatives aid.

Zacks Equity Research

3 min read

W.W. Grainger, Inc. GWW is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 4, before the opening bell.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GWW’s sales is pegged at $4.95 billion, indicating 8.8% growth from the year-ago reported figure.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $11.28 per share. The consensus estimate for GWW’s earnings has moved up 1.3% in the past 60 days. The estimate indicates a year-over-year increase of 13.1%.

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GWW’s Earnings Surprise History

Grainger’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed in one, the average surprise being 4.2%.

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What the Zacks Model Unveils for Grainger

Our model predicts an earnings beat for GWW this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. That is precisely the case here.

You can uncover the best stocks before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Earnings ESP: Grainger has an Earnings ESP of +2.50%.

Zacks Rank: GWW currently has a Zacks Rank of 3.

Factors Likely to Have Shaped GWW’s Q2 Performance

Grainger has been focusing on enhancing the end-to-end customer experience through investments in its e-commerce and digital capabilities, while executing supply-chain improvement initiatives. These factors are likely to have contributed to its quarterly performance. We expect organic daily sales growth of 8.5%.

The company’s High-Touch Solutions North America segment is expected to have benefited from strength in commercial, transportation and heavy manufacturing; strong revenue growth across its North America regions; and an expansion in the number of large and midsize customers. Our model projects quarterly organic daily sales growth of 7.4% from the year-ago quarter's reported level.

We expect the segment’s sales to be $3.81 billion for the second quarter, suggesting 7.4% growth from the second-quarter 2025 reported level.

GWW’s Endless Assortment segment is likely to have benefited from robust customer acquisition and repeat business. Our model predicts quarterly organic daily sales to grow 12.2% from the prior-year reported level. Customer growth at MonotaRO and Zoro is expected to have positively impacted the segment’s sales. Our model predicts the Endless Assortment segment’s sales to be $1.03 billion, indicating a 10.8% rally from the prior-year quarter’s reported figure.

However, GWW has been witnessing elevated material and freight costs for some time. This, coupled with higher operating costs and incremental SG&A costs from higher technology investments, is likely to have negatively impacted its margins.

Grainger Stock’s Price Performance

GWW shares have gained 31.1% in a year against the industry’s 0.1% loss.

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Other Stocks That Warrant a Look

Here are some other companies with the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their upcoming releases.

CECO Environmental Corp. CECO, slated to release second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 6, has an Earnings ESP of +30.23% and sports a Zacks Rank of 1 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CECO Environmental’s second-quarter 2026 earnings is pegged at 22 cents per share, suggesting a year-over-year dip of 8.3%. CECO has a trailing four-quarter average surprise of 46.5%.

Xometry, Inc. XMTR, slated to release second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 4, currently has an Earnings ESP of +66.67% and a Zacks Rank of 3.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Xometry’s second-quarter 2026 earnings is pegged at 36 cents per share, suggesting a year-over-year rise from 9 cents. XMTR has a trailing four-quarter average surprise of 46.2%.

Ferguson Enterprises Inc. FERG, slated to release second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 10, has an Earnings ESP of +1.22% and a Zacks Rank of 3 at present.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Ferguson’s second-quarter 2026 earnings is pegged at $3.23 per share. Ferguson has a trailing four-quarter average surprise of 6.5%.

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