W.W. Grainger, Inc. GWW is scheduled to report third-quarter 2024 results on Oct. 31, before the opening bell.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GWW’s revenues is pegged at $4.40 billion, indicating 4.7% growth from the year-ago figure.

The consensus estimate for earnings is pegged at $9.98 per share. The consensus estimate for GWW’s earnings has moved down 0.5% in the past 60 days. The estimate indicates year-over-year growth of 10.3%.

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Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.

GWW’s Solid Earnings Surprise History

Grainger’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 3.2%.

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What the Zacks Model Unveils for Grainger

Our model predicts an earnings beat for Grainger this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. That is precisely the case here, as you can see below.

You can uncover the best stocks before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Earnings ESP: Grainger has an Earnings ESP of +0.14%.

Zacks Rank: GWW currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3.

Factors Likely to Have Shaped GWW’s Q3 Performance

Grainger has been witnessing strong growth in core product sales for the past few quarters. 

Also, GWW has been focusing on improving the end-to-end customer experience by making investments in its e-commerce and digital capabilities and executing improvement initiatives within its supply chain. These factors are likely to have contributed to its quarterly performance. We expect organic daily sales growth of 3%.

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 to grow 4.2% from the year-ago quarter's level.

Grainger has been witnessing market-beating growth in the High-Touch Solutions segment compared with the U.S. MRO (maintenance, repair and operating) market. This outperformance can be attributed to strategic activities, such as building advantaged MRO solutions, delivering unparalleled customer services and offering differentiated sales and services.

We expect the segment’s revenues to be $3.5 billion for the third quarter, up 3.9% from the third-quarter 2023 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 6.1% from the prior-year level.

Customer growth at MonotaRO is expected to have positively impacted the segment’s revenues. Our model predicts the Endless Assortment segment’s revenues to be $776 million, up 6.1% from the prior-year quarter’s figure.

However, GWW has been witnessing elevated material and freight costs for some time. This, coupled with higher operating costs and incremental SG&A expenses due to higher technology investments, is likely to have negatively impacted its margins.

Grainger’s Share Price Performance

Grainger's shares have gained 61.1% in a year compared with the industry’s 25.3% growth.

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Other Stocks to Consider

Here are some other companies with the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their upcoming releases.

Crane Company CR is scheduled to release its third-quarter results on Oct. 28. It has an Earnings ESP of +0.09% 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 CR’s earnings is pegged at $1.31 per share, which indicates year-over-year growth of 27.2%. It has a trailing four-quarter average surprise of 11.2%.

Ingersoll Rand Inc. IR, scheduled to release its third-quarter results on Oct. 31, currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.22% and a Zacks Rank of 2.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Ingersoll Rand’s earnings is pegged at 82 cents per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 6.5%. It has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 11%.

Eaton Corporation plc ETN, slated to release third-quarter earnings on Oct. 31, has an Earnings ESP of +1.25% and a Zacks Rank of 2 at present.

The consensus estimate for Eaton’s earnings is pegged at $2.80 per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 13.4%. ETN has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 4.7%.

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