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Watsco vs WW Grainger: why the prices moved differently

Weekly · monthly · quarterly news summaries, side by side in time

Watsco Inc (WSO)

Q3 2026
▼3▲1

Watsco's profit squeeze deepens as it buys growth

  • Q2 earnings miss and margin squeeze Watsco's second-quarter profit fell 12% to $4.00 a share, missing forecasts, as sales rose only 2% and gross margin shrank to 27.5% from 29.3%. The prior year's tariff- and inflation-driven pricing boost faded, so the stock dropped sharply.

    The earnings miss and margin decline are the core new negative force on WSO's price this period.

  • Weak international and soft demand backdrop Sales outside the U.S., including Canada and Latin America, came in below expectations and are under 9% of revenue. Combined with only 2% overall growth, it shows underlying HVAC demand is soft, not just a margin problem.

    It explains a real counterweight: weak demand beyond the one-off margin issue, limiting the recovery case.

  • Granite Group acquisition adds scale Watsco agreed to buy The Granite Group, a plumbing and HVAC distributor with about $500 million in annual sales and 82 Northeast locations. It adds customers and density, funded from $464 million in cash and no debt, supporting long-term growth.

    This is the main new positive catalyst, expanding Watsco's footprint and sales base.

  • Watsco lagged peers in a strong distributor quarter Across 24 industrial distributors, peers beat revenue estimates by 3.7% on average, while Watsco's revenue was 1.9% short with a big earnings miss and a 14.5% stock drop. It shows Watsco underperformed its industry, not just a weak market.

    It frames Watsco's miss as company-specific underperformance versus peers, a negative signal for the stock.

August 2026
▼3▲1

Watsco's profit squeeze deepens as it buys growth

  • Q2 earnings miss and margin squeeze Watsco's second-quarter profit fell 12% to $4.00 a share, missing forecasts, as sales rose only 2% and gross margin shrank to 27.5% from 29.3%. The prior year's tariff- and inflation-driven pricing boost faded, so the stock dropped sharply.

    The earnings miss and margin decline are the core new negative force on WSO's price this period.

  • Weak international and soft demand backdrop Sales outside the U.S., including Canada and Latin America, came in below expectations and are under 9% of revenue. Combined with only 2% overall growth, it shows underlying HVAC demand is soft, not just a margin problem.

    It explains a real counterweight: weak demand beyond the one-off margin issue, limiting the recovery case.

  • Granite Group acquisition adds scale Watsco agreed to buy The Granite Group, a plumbing and HVAC distributor with about $500 million in annual sales and 82 Northeast locations. It adds customers and density, funded from $464 million in cash and no debt, supporting long-term growth.

    This is the main new positive catalyst, expanding Watsco's footprint and sales base.

  • Watsco lagged peers in a strong distributor quarter Across 24 industrial distributors, peers beat revenue estimates by 3.7% on average, while Watsco's revenue was 1.9% short with a big earnings miss and a 14.5% stock drop. It shows Watsco underperformed its industry, not just a weak market.

    It frames Watsco's miss as company-specific underperformance versus peers, a negative signal for the stock.

Latest
▼3▲1

Watsco's profit squeeze deepens as it buys growth

  • Q2 earnings miss and margin squeeze Watsco's second-quarter profit fell 12% to $4.00 a share, missing forecasts, as sales rose only 2% and gross margin shrank to 27.5% from 29.3%. The prior year's tariff- and inflation-driven pricing boost faded, so the stock dropped sharply.

    The earnings miss and margin decline are the core new negative force on WSO's price this period.

  • Weak international and soft demand backdrop Sales outside the U.S., including Canada and Latin America, came in below expectations and are under 9% of revenue. Combined with only 2% overall growth, it shows underlying HVAC demand is soft, not just a margin problem.

    It explains a real counterweight: weak demand beyond the one-off margin issue, limiting the recovery case.

  • Granite Group acquisition adds scale Watsco agreed to buy The Granite Group, a plumbing and HVAC distributor with about $500 million in annual sales and 82 Northeast locations. It adds customers and density, funded from $464 million in cash and no debt, supporting long-term growth.

    This is the main new positive catalyst, expanding Watsco's footprint and sales base.

  • Watsco lagged peers in a strong distributor quarter Across 24 industrial distributors, peers beat revenue estimates by 3.7% on average, while Watsco's revenue was 1.9% short with a big earnings miss and a 14.5% stock drop. It shows Watsco underperformed its industry, not just a weak market.

    It frames Watsco's miss as company-specific underperformance versus peers, a negative signal for the stock.

WW Grainger Inc (GWW)

Q3 2026
▲1▼1

Grainger's growth stays strong, but a one-off tariff refund flatters margins

  • Q2 margin boost came mostly from a $43M tariff refund Grainger's daily organic sales growth sped up to 13.7% in Q2 from 12.2% in Q1, which is genuinely strong. But about 90 of the 120 basis points of margin improvement came from a $43 million tariff refund, so the reported 16.1% margin overstates what the business earns normally. That makes the headline profit growth look better than the repeatable reality.

    This is the core new fact of the period: strong sales but a one-off refund inflating margins and adjusted EPS.

  • Grainger buys Adroit technology assets for $210 million Grainger is paying $210 million in cash for technology, intellectual property and staff from Adroit Worldwide Media. The tools aim to make it easier for industrial customers to track and manage their MRO inventory, cutting their costs and freeing up workers. Management says it won't move near-term results much, so the payoff is a longer-term story.

    A new acquisition that could strengthen Grainger's core high-touch distribution business over time.

  • CFO Deidra Merriwether resigns, interim named Grainger's chief financial officer stepped down effective September 4, and the company named its current controller, Laurie Thomson, as interim CFO. The company said the departure was not tied to any dispute over operations or financial reporting, but leadership churn at the top finance job adds uncertainty and the stock dipped about 1% on the news.

    A senior leadership change is a real new event that can weigh on investor confidence in execution.

  • Stock looks pricey versus fair-value estimate An outside analysis put Grainger's fair value at $1,275 versus a recent price near $1,376, calling it about 8% overvalued after a 37% year-to-date run. The bull case rests on steady MRO demand from U.S. infrastructure work and Grainger's supply-chain scale, but tariff cost pressure and soft MRO demand could trip up the story if margins or growth disappoint.

    Valuation is the main counterweight: the shares already price in a lot of good news.

August 2026
▲1▼1

Grainger's growth stays strong, but a one-off tariff refund flatters margins

  • Q2 margin boost came mostly from a $43M tariff refund Grainger's daily organic sales growth sped up to 13.7% in Q2 from 12.2% in Q1, which is genuinely strong. But about 90 of the 120 basis points of margin improvement came from a $43 million tariff refund, so the reported 16.1% margin overstates what the business earns normally. That makes the headline profit growth look better than the repeatable reality.

    This is the core new fact of the period: strong sales but a one-off refund inflating margins and adjusted EPS.

  • Grainger buys Adroit technology assets for $210 million Grainger is paying $210 million in cash for technology, intellectual property and staff from Adroit Worldwide Media. The tools aim to make it easier for industrial customers to track and manage their MRO inventory, cutting their costs and freeing up workers. Management says it won't move near-term results much, so the payoff is a longer-term story.

    A new acquisition that could strengthen Grainger's core high-touch distribution business over time.

  • CFO Deidra Merriwether resigns, interim named Grainger's chief financial officer stepped down effective September 4, and the company named its current controller, Laurie Thomson, as interim CFO. The company said the departure was not tied to any dispute over operations or financial reporting, but leadership churn at the top finance job adds uncertainty and the stock dipped about 1% on the news.

    A senior leadership change is a real new event that can weigh on investor confidence in execution.

  • Stock looks pricey versus fair-value estimate An outside analysis put Grainger's fair value at $1,275 versus a recent price near $1,376, calling it about 8% overvalued after a 37% year-to-date run. The bull case rests on steady MRO demand from U.S. infrastructure work and Grainger's supply-chain scale, but tariff cost pressure and soft MRO demand could trip up the story if margins or growth disappoint.

    Valuation is the main counterweight: the shares already price in a lot of good news.

Latest
▲1▼1

Grainger's growth stays strong, but a one-off tariff refund flatters margins

  • Q2 margin boost came mostly from a $43M tariff refund Grainger's daily organic sales growth sped up to 13.7% in Q2 from 12.2% in Q1, which is genuinely strong. But about 90 of the 120 basis points of margin improvement came from a $43 million tariff refund, so the reported 16.1% margin overstates what the business earns normally. That makes the headline profit growth look better than the repeatable reality.

    This is the core new fact of the period: strong sales but a one-off refund inflating margins and adjusted EPS.

  • Grainger buys Adroit technology assets for $210 million Grainger is paying $210 million in cash for technology, intellectual property and staff from Adroit Worldwide Media. The tools aim to make it easier for industrial customers to track and manage their MRO inventory, cutting their costs and freeing up workers. Management says it won't move near-term results much, so the payoff is a longer-term story.

    A new acquisition that could strengthen Grainger's core high-touch distribution business over time.

  • CFO Deidra Merriwether resigns, interim named Grainger's chief financial officer stepped down effective September 4, and the company named its current controller, Laurie Thomson, as interim CFO. The company said the departure was not tied to any dispute over operations or financial reporting, but leadership churn at the top finance job adds uncertainty and the stock dipped about 1% on the news.

    A senior leadership change is a real new event that can weigh on investor confidence in execution.

  • Stock looks pricey versus fair-value estimate An outside analysis put Grainger's fair value at $1,275 versus a recent price near $1,376, calling it about 8% overvalued after a 37% year-to-date run. The bull case rests on steady MRO demand from U.S. infrastructure work and Grainger's supply-chain scale, but tariff cost pressure and soft MRO demand could trip up the story if margins or growth disappoint.

    Valuation is the main counterweight: the shares already price in a lot of good news.