GWW
W.W. Grainger Inc. Industrials - Industrial Distribution Investor Relations →
W.W. Grainger Inc. (GWW) closed at $1197.65 as of 2026-02-02, trading 44.9% above its 200-week moving average of $826.46. The stock moved further from the line this week, up from 31.2% last week. With a 14-week RSI of 78, GWW is in overbought territory.
Over the past 2715 weeks of data, GWW has crossed below its 200-week moving average 34 times. On average, these episodes lasted 10 weeks. Historically, investors who bought GWW at the start of these episodes saw an average one-year return of +14.2%.
With a market cap of $57.3 billion, GWW is a large-cap stock. The company generates a free cash flow yield of 1.7%. Return on equity stands at 46.1%, indicating strong profitability. The stock trades at 13.7x book value.
GWW is a Dividend Aristocrat, having increased its dividend for 25 or more consecutive years. The current yield is 75.00%. The company has been aggressively buying back shares, reducing its share count by 5.6% over the past three years.
Over the past 33.2 years, a hypothetical investment of $100 in GWW would have grown to $6958, compared to $2849 for the S&P 500. That represents an annualized return of 13.6% vs 10.6% for the index — confirming GWW as a market-beating investment and the kind of quality company where buying during 200-week moving average touches has historically been rewarded.
Free cash flow has been growing at a 32% compound annual rate, with 4 consecutive years of positive cash generation.
Growth of $100: GWW vs S&P 500
Monthly data normalized to $100 at start. Vertical dashed lines mark 200-week MA touches.
What Happens After GWW Crosses Below the Line?
Across 19 historical episodes, buying GWW when it crossed below its 200-week moving average produced an average return of +12.7% after 12 months (median +9.0%), compared to +14.1% for the S&P 500 over the same periods. 63% of those episodes were profitable after one year. After 24 months, the average return was +45.8% vs +28.3% for the index.
Each line shows $100 invested at the moment GWW crossed below its 200-week MA. Bold blue = stock average. Gray dashed = S&P 500 average over same periods.
Historical Touches
GWW has crossed below its 200-week MA 34 times with an average 1-year return of +14.2% after recovery.
| Crossed Below | Recovered | Weeks | Max Depth | 1-Year Return | Return Since Touch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1974 | Feb 1974 | 3 | 7.4% | -26.2% | +57159.4% |
| Mar 1974 | May 1974 | 10 | 12.1% | -39.0% | +53791.2% |
| Jun 1974 | Jan 1976 | 82 | 50.1% | -28.3% | +53791.2% |
| Jan 1976 | Feb 1976 | 2 | 3.2% | -3.1% | +65339.3% |
| Oct 1976 | Nov 1976 | 5 | 5.6% | -3.4% | +63082.8% |
| Dec 1976 | Dec 1976 | 1 | 0.1% | +4.2% | +62011.9% |
| Jan 1977 | May 1977 | 17 | 9.3% | -2.6% | +63082.8% |
| May 1977 | Jul 1977 | 7 | 2.4% | +6.9% | +63082.8% |
| Aug 1977 | Sep 1977 | 3 | 1.4% | +26.8% | +64191.2% |
| Oct 1977 | Nov 1977 | 4 | 5.5% | +31.3% | +68397.2% |
| Feb 1978 | Feb 1978 | 3 | 1.8% | +17.9% | +65632.8% |
| Mar 1980 | Jul 1980 | 18 | 20.7% | +12.0% | +58533.6% |
| Jun 1982 | Jun 1982 | 1 | 4.4% | +76.6% | +53397.8% |
| Jul 1982 | Aug 1982 | 2 | 0.6% | +51.6% | +51333.0% |
| Sep 1990 | Nov 1990 | 6 | 3.4% | +63.5% | +14562.6% |
| Nov 1994 | Dec 1994 | 1 | 1.3% | +30.7% | +7452.5% |
| Jan 1999 | Jan 1999 | 1 | 2.1% | +45.2% | +4832.1% |
| Nov 1999 | Nov 1999 | 1 | 0.7% | -21.8% | +4320.8% |
| Feb 2000 | Mar 2000 | 2 | 7.9% | -9.7% | +4410.6% |
| Apr 2000 | May 2001 | 55 | 40.7% | -8.6% | +4118.1% |
| Jun 2001 | Aug 2001 | 9 | 4.5% | +23.5% | +4243.2% |
| Sep 2001 | Oct 2001 | 3 | 11.7% | +16.1% | +4727.7% |
| Jul 2002 | Jul 2002 | 1 | 0.2% | +15.6% | +4072.6% |
| Sep 2002 | Oct 2002 | 3 | 1.5% | +21.5% | +4058.2% |
| Oct 2008 | Dec 2008 | 8 | 11.4% | +45.4% | +2242.0% |
| Jan 2009 | Feb 2009 | 2 | 2.2% | +40.6% | +2111.0% |
| Feb 2009 | Mar 2009 | 6 | 16.4% | +54.6% | +2197.2% |
| Aug 2015 | Mar 2016 | 30 | 16.8% | +7.6% | +542.2% |
| May 2016 | May 2016 | 1 | 1.3% | -19.6% | +523.7% |
| Jun 2016 | Jun 2016 | 3 | 4.0% | -18.9% | +524.0% |
| Jul 2016 | Aug 2016 | 3 | 4.1% | -22.5% | +537.3% |
| Sep 2016 | Nov 2016 | 12 | 10.7% | -24.0% | +520.6% |
| Apr 2017 | Nov 2017 | 33 | 27.0% | +29.0% | +516.6% |
| Mar 2020 | Apr 2020 | 3 | 15.3% | +90.7% | +500.0% |
| Average | 10 | — | +14.2% | — |
Not financial advice. This is an educational tool. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Do your own research before making investment decisions.
Data as of Friday close, 2026-02-02