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Side-by-side financial comparison of W. W. Grainger (GWW) and Vale S.A. (VALE). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

Vale S.A. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($8.8B vs $4.4B, roughly 2.0× W. W. Grainger). Vale S.A. runs the higher net margin — 24.3% vs 10.2%, a 14.1% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, W. W. Grainger posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (4.5% vs -11.3%).

W. W. Grainger, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 industrial supply company founded in 1927 in Chicago by the company's namesake William W. (Bill) Grainger. He founded the company to provide consumers with access to a consistent supply of motors. The company now serves more than 4.5 million customers worldwide with offerings such as motors, lighting, material handling, fasteners, plumbing, tools, and safety supplies, along with inventory management services and technical support.

Vale, formerly Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, is a Brazilian multinational corporation engaged in metals and mining and one of the largest logistics operators in Brazil. Vale is the largest producer of iron ore and nickel in the world. It also produces manganese, ferroalloys, copper, bauxite, potash, kaolin, and cobalt; as of 2014 the company operated nine hydroelectricity plants, and a large network of railroads, ships, and ports used to transport its products.

GWW vs VALE — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
VALE
VALE
2.0× larger
VALE
$8.8B
$4.4B
GWW
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
GWW
GWW
+15.8% gap
GWW
4.5%
-11.3%
VALE
Higher net margin
VALE
VALE
14.1% more per $
VALE
24.3%
10.2%
GWW

Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q2 FY2025

Metric
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Revenue
$4.4B
$8.8B
Net Profit
$451.0M
$2.1B
Gross Margin
39.5%
30.9%
Operating Margin
14.3%
22.8%
Net Margin
10.2%
24.3%
Revenue YoY
4.5%
-11.3%
Net Profit YoY
-5.1%
-22.9%
EPS (diluted)
$9.45
$0.50

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
$4.4B
Q3 25
$4.7B
Q2 25
$4.6B
$8.8B
Q1 25
$4.3B
Q4 24
$4.2B
Q3 24
$4.4B
Q2 24
$4.3B
$9.9B
Q1 24
$4.2B
Net Profit
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
$451.0M
Q3 25
$294.0M
Q2 25
$482.0M
$2.1B
Q1 25
$479.0M
Q4 24
$475.0M
Q3 24
$486.0M
Q2 24
$470.0M
$2.8B
Q1 24
$478.0M
Gross Margin
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
39.5%
Q3 25
38.6%
Q2 25
38.5%
30.9%
Q1 25
39.7%
Q4 24
39.6%
Q3 24
39.2%
Q2 24
39.3%
36.0%
Q1 24
39.4%
Operating Margin
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
14.3%
Q3 25
11.0%
Q2 25
14.9%
22.8%
Q1 25
15.6%
Q4 24
15.0%
Q3 24
15.6%
Q2 24
15.1%
39.1%
Q1 24
15.8%
Net Margin
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
10.2%
Q3 25
6.3%
Q2 25
10.6%
24.3%
Q1 25
11.1%
Q4 24
11.2%
Q3 24
11.1%
Q2 24
10.9%
27.9%
Q1 24
11.3%
EPS (diluted)
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
$9.45
Q3 25
$6.12
Q2 25
$9.97
$0.50
Q1 25
$9.86
Q4 24
$9.71
Q3 24
$9.87
Q2 24
$9.51
$0.65
Q1 24
$9.62

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$585.0M
$5.5B
Total DebtLower is stronger
$2.5B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$3.7B
$40.5B
Total Assets
$9.0B
$90.4B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.67×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
$585.0M
Q3 25
$535.0M
Q2 25
$597.0M
$5.5B
Q1 25
$666.0M
Q4 24
$1.0B
Q3 24
$1.4B
Q2 24
$769.0M
$6.5B
Q1 24
$804.0M
Total Debt
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
$2.5B
Q3 25
$2.4B
Q2 25
$2.3B
Q1 25
$2.3B
Q4 24
$2.8B
Q3 24
$2.3B
Q2 24
$1.8B
Q1 24
$1.8B
Stockholders' Equity
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
$3.7B
Q3 25
$3.6B
Q2 25
$3.7B
$40.5B
Q1 25
$3.5B
Q4 24
$3.4B
Q3 24
$3.5B
Q2 24
$3.3B
$38.4B
Q1 24
$3.2B
Total Assets
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
$9.0B
Q3 25
$8.8B
Q2 25
$8.9B
$90.4B
Q1 25
$8.7B
Q4 24
$8.8B
Q3 24
$9.1B
Q2 24
$8.4B
$86.6B
Q1 24
$8.4B
Debt / Equity
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
0.67×
Q3 25
0.67×
Q2 25
0.64×
Q1 25
0.66×
Q4 24
0.83×
Q3 24
0.65×
Q2 24
0.54×
Q1 24
0.56×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$395.0M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$269.0M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
6.1%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
2.8%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
0.88×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$1.3B

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
$395.0M
Q3 25
$597.0M
Q2 25
$377.0M
Q1 25
$646.0M
Q4 24
$428.0M
Q3 24
$611.0M
Q2 24
$411.0M
Q1 24
$661.0M
Free Cash Flow
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
$269.0M
Q3 25
$339.0M
Q2 25
$202.0M
Q1 25
$521.0M
Q4 24
$170.0M
Q3 24
$523.0M
Q2 24
$335.0M
Q1 24
$542.0M
FCF Margin
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
6.1%
Q3 25
7.3%
Q2 25
4.4%
Q1 25
12.1%
Q4 24
4.0%
Q3 24
11.9%
Q2 24
7.8%
Q1 24
12.8%
Capex Intensity
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
2.8%
Q3 25
5.5%
Q2 25
3.8%
Q1 25
2.9%
Q4 24
6.1%
Q3 24
2.0%
Q2 24
1.8%
Q1 24
2.8%
Cash Conversion
GWW
GWW
VALE
VALE
Q4 25
0.88×
Q3 25
2.03×
Q2 25
0.78×
Q1 25
1.35×
Q4 24
0.90×
Q3 24
1.26×
Q2 24
0.87×
Q1 24
1.38×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

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