W.W. Grainger, Inc. GWW is scheduled to report third-quarter 2026 results on Nov. 4, before the opening bell.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GWW’s sales is pegged at $5.06 billion, indicating 8.6% growth from the year-ago reported figure.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $11.64 per share. The consensus estimate for GWW’s earnings has inched up 0.3% in the past 60 days, indicating a year-over-year increase of 14%.
GWW’s Earnings Surprise History
Grainger’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 5.9%.
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 +1.44%.
Zacks Rank: GWW currently has a Zacks Rank of 3.
Factors Likely to Have Shaped GWW’s Q3 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 8.7%.
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 3.9% from the year-ago quarter's reported level.
We expect the segment’s sales to be $3.94 billion for the third quarter, suggesting 8.6% growth from the third-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 11.3% 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 10.5% 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 40.6% in a year compared with the industry’s 9.1% growth.
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.
Eaton Corporation plc ETN, slated to release third-quarter 2026 results tomorrow, has an Earnings ESP of +0.45% and a Zacks Rank of 2 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Eaton’s third-quarter 2026 earnings is pegged at $3.53 per share, suggesting a year-over-year rise of 15%. ETN has a trailing four-quarter average surprise of 1.3%.
Emerson Electric Co. EMR, slated to release fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Nov. 4, has an Earnings ESP of +0.40% and a Zacks Rank of 2 at present.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Emerson Electric’s fourth-quarter 2026 earnings is pegged at $1.84 per share, implying a year-over-year rise of 13%. EMR has a trailing four-quarter average surprise of 1.3%.
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. SWK has an Earnings ESP of +1.10% and a Zacks Rank of 2 at present. The company is slated to release third-quarter 2026 results on Nov. 4.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Stanley Black’s third-quarter 2026 earnings is pegged at $1.54 per share, implying a year-over-year rise of 7.9%. SWK has a trailing four-quarter average surprise of 23.3%.
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W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW): Free Stock Analysis Report
Emerson Electric Co. (EMR): Free Stock Analysis Report
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (SWK): Free Stock Analysis Report
Eaton Corporation, PLC (ETN): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).