Earnings
Grainger Tops $5B in 2Q Sales, Raises Forecast
Grainger delivered double-digit 2Q sales growth across both business segments, accompanied by sizable profit and margin gains. The MRO distributor raised its 2026 outlook for the second consecutive quarter. Get all the key figures here.
At the recent 2022 Grainger Show, the venerable B2B distributor of maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) supplies and other related products and services touted its dual models of serving customers: High-Touch Solutions and Endless Assortment.
See our Premium write-up of Grainger’s 2Q26 results for much deeper reporting and analysis
MRO supplies distributor Grainger reported another quarter of double-digit sales growth on Aug. 4 and raised its full-year forecast following a strong first half.
The company posted 2Q26 sales of $5.02 billion, up 10.3% year-over-year and 13.7% on a daily organic constant-currency basis.
Grainger’s gross profit increased 13.0% to $1.98 billion, while gross margin expanded 100 basis points to 39.5%. The company noted that its results included $43 million in refunds on tariffs paid for directly imported products, providing a 90-bps gross margin benefit.
Operating profit jumped 19.0% to $807 million, with operating margin up 120 bps to 16.1%. Net profit attributable to Grainger increased 18.3% to $570 million, while diluted earnings per share rose 20.5% to $12.01.
“Despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, we executed well during the second quarter and delivered exceptional service to customers,” Grainger Chairman and CEO D.G. Macpherson said. “Looking ahead, we are increasing our outlook to reflect our strong first half performance and the continued momentum we are seeing across the demand environment.”
MDM’s Grainger Deep Dive
See our three-part Grainger Premium series below, which will soon be packaged into MDM’s next Case Study report that includes additional reporting, commentary and analysis:
Grainger’s 2Q26 segment results included:
- High-Touch Solutions – North America: Sales increased 11.9% to $3.97 billion and grew 11.7% on a daily constant-currency basis. Gross margin increased 80 bps to 41.8%, while operating margin expanded 70 bps to 17.3%.
- Endless Assortment: Sales increased 13.5% to $1.05 billion and grew 20.6% on a daily organic constant-currency basis. Gross margin increased 90 bps to 30.7%, while operating margin expanded 160 bps to 11.5%. Zoro’s daily sales increased 18.4%, while MonotaRO grew 24.0% in local selling days and constant currency.
2026 Outlook Raised
Grainger now expects 2026 sales of $19.4-$19.7 billion, up from its previous $19.2-$19.6 billion forecast. That would represent reported growth of 8.4%-10.0% and daily organic constant-currency growth of 11.5%-13.0%. The distributor also raised its projected gross margin range to 39.3%-39.6% and its operating margin range to 15.8%-16.2%.
Grainger raised its annual outlook once previously following its strong 1Q26 results.
