W. W. Grainger management check
GWW · Industrials · Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components · CEO D.G. Macpherson
Filings as of
5 good · 2 to watch · 0 flagged, across the seven questions below.
- Good
Have owners done well?
Beat its chosen peers$100 invested at the start of fiscal 2021 grew to $261, against $231 for the peer group the company picked itself.
- Watch
Does pay follow performance?
Pay only loosely tracked returnsOver 5 years, the CEO's pay actually paid (equity valued at the share price) had a correlation of -0.21 with shareholder return. 1 means pay moved in step; below 0, the opposite way.
- Good
What does the CEO cost owners?
0.7% of net income$11.6m of reported pay in fiscal 2025, against $1.7bn of net income.
- Watch
Do they own the stock?
Insiders are selling3 insiders sold $3.2m in the last six months and none bought.
- Good
Are owners being diluted?
Share count shrinkingDiluted shares changed -2.1% a year over the last three fiscal years. Stock-based pay was 0.4% of revenue in the latest year.
- Good
Is leadership stable?
3 leadership filings in 3 yearsCEO in the pay table: D.G. Macpherson. 3 filings under 8-K item 5.02 (officers or directors leaving or joining, or new pay arrangements) in the last 3 years.
- Good
Are the books clean?
No red flags on fileNo restatements, auditor changes or late filings since 2021.
Against the S&P 500
Each check's score (0–100) and how it compares: the share of ranked S&P 500 companies it matches or beats, and the median in Industrials.
| Check | Score | At or above | Sector median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner returns | 66 | 55 | |
| Pay for performance | 39 | 86 | |
| CEO cost | 64 | 48 | |
| Skin in the game | — | — | 55 |
| Dilution | 76 | 62 | |
| Stable leadership | 100 | 75 | |
| Clean books | 100 | 100 |
Closest peers
Others in Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components, by management score. W. W. Grainger is 18th of 81 in its sector.
- 120HUBBHubbell Incorporated75
- 123GWWW. W. Grainger74
- 151PHParker Hannifin72
- 170OTISOtis Worldwide71
- 179SNASnap-on70
- 196DOVDover Corporation69
- 197IRIngersoll Rand69
- 213PNRPentair68
- 286XYLXylem Inc.62
- 293NDSNNordson Corporation62
Pay versus performance
From the proxy statement filed March 10, 2026. "Actually paid" values stock awards at the share price, so it rises and falls with the stock.
| Fiscal year | CEO | CEO pay | Actually paid | Other executives (avg) | $100 became | Peers | Net income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | D.G. Macpherson | $11.6m | $9.1m | $3.9m | $261 | $231 | $1.7bn |
| 2024 | — | $10.9m | $15.8m | $3.1m | $270 | $208 | $1.9bn |
| 2023 | — | $10.2m | $23.0m | $3.0m | $211 | $179 | $1.8bn |
| 2022 | — | $10.0m | $14.3m | $3.1m | $140 | $121 | $1.5bn |
| 2021 | — | $9.0m | $16.3m | $2.1m | $129 | $137 | $1.0bn |
The board says pay is tied most to Adjusted ROIC. Its other key measures: Daily, Organic Constant Currency Sales, Share Gain—High-Touch Solutions—U.S., Daily, Organic Constant Currency Sales in Local Days—Endless Assortment, Adjusted, Constant Currency Operating Margin.
Insiders and the CEO's stake
3 insiders sold $3.2m in the last six months and none bought.
- SoldPaige K RobbinsSr. VP$1.8mMay 12, 2026
- SoldJonny M LeRoySVP, Chief Technology Officer$1.1mMay 12, 2026
- SoldLaurie R ThomsonVP, Controller$386kMay 12, 2026
Leadership and governance on file
- Aug 3, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Aug 26, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Dec 13, 2023Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jul 26, 2023Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jul 10, 2023Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Feb 15, 2023Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Dec 15, 2022Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Feb 16, 2022Leadership change8-K 5.02
Latest shareholder vote results: May 1, 2026, including the say-on-pay vote.
Where the money went
Over 2021–2025: $6.4bn returned to owners in buybacks and dividends, 80% of net income, and $278.0m of pay in stock.
| Fiscal year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $13.0bn | $15.2bn | $16.5bn | $17.2bn | $17.9bn |
| Net income | $1.0bn | $1.5bn | $1.8bn | $1.9bn | $1.7bn |
| Stock-based pay | $42.0m | $48.0m | $62.0m | $62.0m | $64.0m |
| Buybacks | $695.0m | $603.0m | $850.0m | $1.2bn | $1.0bn |
| Dividends | $357.0m | $370.0m | $392.0m | $421.0m | $467.0m |
| Diluted shares | 52m | 51m | 50m | 49m | 48m |
Educational only, not investment advice. Figures are as filed with the SEC: pay from the proxy's pay-versus-performance table, capital allocation from 10-K XBRL data, insider trades from Form 4s over the last six months, events from the last 5 years of filings. The peer group is the one the company chose. See the method.