W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) earnings on August 4, 2026

Before the market opens Q2 2026

More W.W. Grainger, Inc. earnings

Prior outlook: Pessimistic Outcome: Accurate

The stock dropped sharply, falling 5.16% in one day. This was a much bigger move than usual, even though the company was expected to perform well.

GWW price around the earnings

1300.45

Change: -5.2%

2026-08-04, 20:00 UTC

End of the measured window
1272.83 1315.22 1357.61 1400.00 1371.25
Price series around the eventClosing price per minute from before the event to the end of the measured window.
August 4, 2026
  • Price: green if it ends above the starting price; red if it ends below
  • End of the measured window
  • Market open
  • Starting price
Price series around the event

Prior thesis

Prior outlook: Pessimistic Outcome: Accurate

Thesis published
Results released

Analysts cautious — risk outweighs reward

Experts cite limited upside because the average price target is below the current price, and recent analyst moves are mixed. The trend has been weakening over the past week, which adds to the cautious outlook.

Context analyzed before publication

Summary
Analysts cautious — risk outweighs reward
Playbook
The stock has been losing trend strength recently, and analyst opinions are split. The overall picture shows more pessimism than optimism, with no clear positive driver.
Trend
Analyst confidence declining over the week

Analysts

Drivers

  • Analysts Negative

    Most analysts say 'hold' with an average price target about 6% below the current price, meaning limited upside. Recent changes include a downgrade and an upgrade, showing no strong agreement.

Evidence

Analyst consensus
Hold
Consensus average (1-5)
2.79
Analysts covering the stock
14
Average price target
1,292.29
Lowest price target
930
Highest price target
1,460
Upside to price target
-5.8%
Quarterly earnings growth
15.9%
Revenue growth
10.1%
Forward EPS
50.48
Trailing EPS
37.18
Analyst moves in the last 60 days
5
  • Strong buy: 0
  • Buy: 3
  • Hold: 14
  • Sell: 0
  • Strong sell: 2
Strong buy
0
Buy
3
Hold
14
Sell
0
Strong sell
2
  • July 16, 2026 · RBC Capital: Maintains rating (Sector Perform → Sector Perform)
  • July 14, 2026 · Stephens & Co.: Downgrades rating (Overweight → Equal-Weight)
  • July 9, 2026 · Wolfe Research: Upgrades rating (Underperform → Peer Perform)
  • June 23, 2026 · Barclays: Maintains rating (Underweight → Underweight)
  • June 16, 2026 · DA Davidson: Initiates coverage (Neutral)

News and sentiment

Evidence

Sentiment
Sentiment
Constructive
Mention volume
High
Normalized volume
99%
News
Sources (3)

Technicals

Drivers

  • Technical Negative

    The stock's trend strength is mild, but it has weakened sharply over the last few days, suggesting the scenario is pessimistic.

Evidence

Price when the context was analyzed
1,371.08
Average true range (ATR)
2.4%
Distance to 52-week high
-1.4%
14-day change (14d)
+0.0%
30-day change (32d)
+2.1%
30-day relative strength
+0.4%
SPY change (32d)
+1.7%
Nearest support
1,367.05
Distance to nearest support
0.3%
Nearest resistance
1,373.2
Distance to nearest resistance
0.2%
Volume accumulation ratio (14d / 46d)
0.83
  • Mid: 1,367.05 (0.3% away, 0.12 ATR, 23 touches)
  • Mid: 1,354.81 (1.2% away, 0.51 ATR, 22 touches)
  • Mid: 1,348.07 (1.7% away, 0.71 ATR, 15 touches)
  • Mid: 1,373.2 (0.2% away, 0.06 ATR, 13 touches)
  • Mid: 1,385.29 (1% away, 0.44 ATR, 14 touches)
  • Mid: 1,399.3 (2.1% away, 0.87 ATR, 8 touches)

Trends

Evidence

Average earnings surprise
+3.9%
  • May 7, 2026: actual EPS 11.65 vs estimate 10.21 (surprise +14.1%)
  • February 3, 2026: actual EPS 9.44 vs estimate 9.46 (surprise -0.2%)
  • October 31, 2025: actual EPS 10.21 vs estimate 9.95 (surprise +2.6%)
  • August 1, 2025: actual EPS 9.97 vs estimate 10.07 (surprise -1.0%)

Expected move

Drivers

  • Past earnings Neutral

    The company beat earnings expectations half the time, with an average surprise of about 4%. The latest report beat by 14%, but the one before missed by a small margin, showing inconsistency.

Implied move
+1.9%
Source
Options chain

Reactions over its last 20 earnings

Median move
4.9%
75th percentile move
5.9%
90th percentile move
8.5%
Up / down moves
14 / 6
Average up move
+5.2%
Average down move
-4.8%

Monitoring and close

What W.W. Grainger, Inc. reported

Status
Finished
Actual EPS12.01
EPS estimate11.22
EPS surprise+7.0%
Revenue$5,021 million
Revenue estimate$4,953 million
Revenue surprise+1.4%

Grainger beat Q2 estimates and raised its 2026 outlook. CFO departure remains a focus. Market hit record highs.

Sources (9)

Pre-market second reading after the results

Verdict
Beat expectations

Heading into the open, results beat expectations on both earnings and revenue, and the price is indicating -4.8% pre-market, a move in line with the stock's usual reaction (about 5%). The figures confirm the pessimistic scenario. In the 711 similar cases in our market history, the close held that direction 88% of the time.

How the stock reacted

Outcome
Accurate
Consolidated
-5.2%
Max favorable move (MFE)
7.3%
Max adverse move (MAE)
0.1%