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GWW or MSM or WSO
Which Stock Would AI Choose? W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) vs. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (MSM) vs. Watsco, Inc. (WSO) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- GWW (GWW) has delivered strong year-to-date gains of approximately 37% amid consistent industrial demand and upcoming Q2 earnings.
- MSM (MSM) leads with the strongest recent momentum, posting over 46% year-to-date returns following a solid Q2 earnings beat in early July.
- WSO (WSO) has underperformed with an approximately 8% year-to-date decline after missing Q2 revenue and earnings estimates in late July.
- All three companies operate in distribution sectors but differ in end markets: GWW and MSM focus on broad industrial maintenance supplies, while WSO specializes in HVAC and refrigeration equipment.
- Valuation sensitivity varies, with GWW and MSM showing resilience in recent market activity compared to WSO's post-earnings pullback.
- Relative positioning favors stability and growth consistency for GWW and MSM in the current environment.
Introduction
This comparison examines three publicly traded industrial distributors—GWW (GWW), MSM (MSM), and WSO (WSO)—to highlight differences in business models, recent performance, and market positioning. These stocks appeal to investors and traders seeking exposure to the industrial supply chain, including maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) as well as specialized equipment distribution. The analysis focuses on observable trends from recent market activity to inform relative assessments without forward-looking speculation.
GWW Overview and Recent Performance
W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) is a leading distributor of maintenance, repair, and operating supplies to businesses across North America. In recent weeks, the stock has traded near $1,382, reflecting a year-to-date advance of roughly 37% from early 2026 levels. Performance has been supported by steady demand in industrial sectors and a positive market reaction to its first-quarter results earlier in the year. Sentiment remains influenced by expectations ahead of its second-quarter earnings report scheduled for early August, with analysts noting projected growth in earnings per share (EPS) and revenue.
MSM Overview and Recent Performance
MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (MSM) provides a wide range of metalworking and maintenance products to industrial customers. The stock has shown robust recent activity, closing around $123.55 with year-to-date gains exceeding 46%. A key driver was its second-quarter earnings release in early July, which exceeded revenue expectations and prompted an immediate positive price response of over 6%. Broader market activity has favored the shares amid improving sentiment toward industrial distributors.
WSO Overview and Recent Performance
Watsco, Inc. (WSO) distributes air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration equipment primarily in the Americas. Recent trading has placed the stock near $309, marking an approximate 8% decline year-to-date. Performance was pressured following its second-quarter results released in late July, which missed consensus revenue and EPS estimates, leading to an immediate share price drop of about 3.8%. Market sentiment has reflected caution around HVAC-related demand in the period.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
GWW (GWW) and MSM (MSM) share similar business models centered on broad MRO distribution, offering greater diversification across industrial end markets compared to WSO (WSO)’s focus on HVAC and refrigeration, which ties performance more closely to seasonal and construction cycles. Recent momentum favors MSM and GWW, both posting substantial year-to-date gains, while WSO has experienced relative weakness following its earnings miss. Risk factors include sector exposure to economic cycles for all three, though GWW and MSM have shown more consistent stability in recent market activity. Valuation sensitivity appears higher for WSO given its post-earnings reaction, whereas GWW and MSM benefit from stronger trend consistency and positioning amid industrial demand.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable factors such as trend consistency, earnings delivery, and relative positioning in recent market activity, Tickeron’s AI would likely assign a probabilistic edge to MSM (MSM) and GWW (GWW) over WSO (WSO). Stronger year-to-date performance and positive earnings surprises for the first two stocks contrast with WSO’s recent miss, suggesting comparatively favorable stability and momentum characteristics at present.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
GWW’s FA Score shows that 3 FA rating(s) are green whileMSM’s FA Score has 3 green FA rating(s), and WSO’s FA Score reflects 1 green FA rating(s).
- GWW’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 red.
- MSM’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 red.
- WSO’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
GWW’s TA Score shows that 5 TA indicator(s) are bullish while MSM’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s), and WSO’s TA Score reflects 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- GWW’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 3 bearish.
- MSM’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
- WSO’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 7 bearish.
Price Growth
GWW (@Electronics Distributors) experienced а -7.57% price change this week, while MSM (@Electronics Distributors) price change was -0.39% , and WSO (@Electronics Distributors) price fluctuated +6.72% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Electronics Distributors industry was +11.31%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +14.24%, and the average quarterly price growth was +4.49%.
Reported Earning Dates
GWW is expected to report earnings on Nov 04, 2026.
MSM is expected to report earnings on Oct 22, 2026.
WSO is expected to report earnings on Oct 15, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Electronics Distributors (+11.31% weekly)Electronics distributors are companies that are involved in distribution of one or more of the following: electronic components, computer products/ peripherals and software products & services. Several electronics distributors are also becoming the point of contact for technical/pre- & post-sale support in many cases, in an attempt to bolster their position in the market. Tariffs and/or cross-border trade barriers are some of the potential threats to the electronics supply chain, but that could also potentially lead to re-directing to markets where tariffs/restrictions are lower depending on demand. The industry is also vulnerable in the event of economic slowdowns. Arrow Electronics, Inc., SYNNEX Corporation and Versum Materials, Inc. are some of the major electronics distributors in the U.S.
| GWW | MSM | WSO | |
| Capitalization | 60.2B | 6.87B | 13.5B |
| EBITDA | 2.88B | 426M | 734M |
| Gain YTD | 27.105 | 50.204 | 0.392 |
| P/E Ratio | 32.57 | 29.69 | 28.29 |
| Revenue | 18.4B | 3.91B | 7.24B |
| Total Cash | 695M | 74.1M | N/A |
| Total Debt | 2.78B | 555M | 486M |
GWW | MSM | WSO | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 53 | 13 | 60 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 85 Overvalued | 23 Undervalued | 10 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 12 | 28 | 79 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 22 | 53 | 52 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 50 | 41 | 77 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 24 | 30 | 67 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 55 | 85 | 39 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
WSO's Valuation (10) in the Building Products industry is in the same range as MSM (23) in the Wholesale Distributors industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for GWW (85) in the Wholesale Distributors industry. This means that WSO's stock grew similarly to MSM’s and significantly faster than GWW’s over the last 12 months.
GWW's Profit vs Risk Rating (12) in the Wholesale Distributors industry is in the same range as MSM (28) in the Wholesale Distributors industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for WSO (79) in the Building Products industry. This means that GWW's stock grew similarly to MSM’s and significantly faster than WSO’s over the last 12 months.
GWW's SMR Rating (22) in the Wholesale Distributors industry is in the same range as WSO (52) in the Building Products industry, and is in the same range as MSM (53) in the Wholesale Distributors industry. This means that GWW's stock grew similarly to WSO’s and similarly to MSM’s over the last 12 months.
MSM's Price Growth Rating (41) in the Wholesale Distributors industry is in the same range as GWW (50) in the Wholesale Distributors industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for WSO (77) in the Building Products industry. This means that MSM's stock grew similarly to GWW’s and somewhat faster than WSO’s over the last 12 months.
GWW's P/E Growth Rating (24) in the Wholesale Distributors industry is in the same range as MSM (30) in the Wholesale Distributors industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for WSO (67) in the Building Products industry. This means that GWW's stock grew similarly to MSM’s and somewhat faster than WSO’s over the last 12 months.
| GWW | MSM | WSO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 61% | 3 days ago 61% | 3 days ago 80% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 63% | 3 days ago 64% | 3 days ago 75% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 45% | 3 days ago 61% | 5 days ago 65% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | N/A | 3 days ago 65% | 3 days ago 69% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 50% | 3 days ago 56% | 3 days ago 67% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 50% | 3 days ago 50% | 3 days ago 59% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 14 days ago 62% | 6 days ago 54% | 6 days ago 71% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 48% | 3 days ago 56% | 4 days ago 69% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 58% | 3 days ago 76% | 3 days ago 80% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 49% | 3 days ago 53% | 3 days ago 55% |
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GWW and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, GWW has been loosely correlated with MSM. These tickers have moved in lockstep 51% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if GWW jumps, then MSM could also see price increases.
MSM and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, MSM has been loosely correlated with AIT. These tickers have moved in lockstep 64% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if MSM jumps, then AIT could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To MSM | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSM | 100% | -0.80% | ||
| AIT - MSM | 64% Loosely correlated | +0.28% | ||
| GWW - MSM | 58% Loosely correlated | -0.39% | ||
| DSGR - MSM | 58% Loosely correlated | +0.17% | ||
| FAST - MSM | 51% Loosely correlated | +2.05% | ||
| WSO - MSM | 46% Loosely correlated | +2.83% | ||
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WSO and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, WSO has been loosely correlated with FERG. These tickers have moved in lockstep 56% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if WSO jumps, then FERG could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To WSO | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSO | 100% | +2.83% | ||
| FERG - WSO | 56% Loosely correlated | +1.31% | ||
| AIT - WSO | 56% Loosely correlated | +0.28% | ||
| SITE - WSO | 54% Loosely correlated | +5.42% | ||
| QXO - WSO | 49% Loosely correlated | +6.46% | ||
| MSM - WSO | 46% Loosely correlated | -0.80% | ||
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