Item 1. Financial Statements

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Item 1. Financial Statements

W.W. Grainger, Inc. and Subsidiaries

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS

(In millions of dollars and shares, except for per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
March 31,
20252024
Net sales$4,306$4,235
Cost of goods sold2,5962,567
Gross profit1,7101,668
Selling, general and administrative expenses1,038999
Operating earnings672669
Other expense (income):
Interest expense – net2121
Other – net(6)(7)
Total other expense – net1514
Earnings before income taxes657655
Income tax provision157158
Net earnings500497
Less net earnings attributable to noncontrolling interest2119
Net earnings attributable to W.W. Grainger, Inc.$479$478
Earnings per share:
Basic$9.88$9.65
Diluted$9.86$9.62
Weighted average number of shares outstanding:
Basic48.249.2
Diluted48.349.4

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. and Subsidiaries

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE EARNINGS

(In millions of dollars)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
March 31,
20252024
Net earnings$500497
Other comprehensive earnings (losses):
Foreign currency translation adjustments38(54)
Postretirement benefit plan losses – net of tax expense of $1 and $1(2)(3)
Total other comprehensive earnings (losses)36(57)
Comprehensive earnings – net of tax536440
Less comprehensive earnings (losses) attributable to noncontrolling interest
Net earnings2119
Foreign currency translation adjustments17(22)
Total comprehensive earnings (losses) attributable to noncontrolling interest38(3)
Comprehensive earnings attributable to W.W. Grainger, Inc.$498$443

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. and Subsidiaries

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In millions of dollars, except for share and per share amounts)

As of
Assets(Unaudited) March 31, 2025December 31, 2024
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents$666$1,036
Accounts receivable (less allowance for credit losses of $33 and $32, respectively)2,3692,232
Inventories – net2,3092,306
Prepaid expenses and other current assets186163
Total current assets5,5305,737
Property, buildings and equipment – net1,9741,927
Goodwill356355
Intangibles – net249243
Operating lease right-of-use366371
Other assets183196
Total assets$8,658$8,829
Liabilities and shareholders' equity
Current liabilities
Current maturities$3$499
Trade accounts payable1,114952
Accrued compensation and benefits272324
Operating lease liability7878
Accrued expenses412407
Income taxes payable13845
Total current liabilities2,0172,305
Long-term debt2,2782,279
Long-term operating lease liability320327
Deferred income taxes and tax uncertainties97101
Other non-current liabilities99114
Shareholders' equity
Cumulative preferred stock – $5 par value – 12,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding——
Common Stock – $0.50 par value – 300,000,000 shares authorized; 109,659,219 shares issued5555
Additional contributed capital1,4091,399
Retained earnings14,05713,677
Accumulated other comprehensive losses(255)(274)
Treasury stock, at cost – 61,584,626 and 61,326,349 shares, respectively(11,786)(11,499)
Total W.W. Grainger, Inc. shareholders’ equity3,4803,358
Noncontrolling interest367345
Total shareholders' equity3,8473,703
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity$8,658$8,829

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. and Subsidiaries

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In millions of dollars)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
March 31,
20252024
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net earnings$500$497
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities:
Provision for credit losses76
Deferred income taxes and tax uncertainties(4)(2)
Depreciation and amortization6156
Non-cash lease expense2021
Stock-based compensation1211
Change in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable(128)(163)
Inventories676
Prepaid expenses and other assets(19)(85)
Trade accounts payable154202
Operating lease liabilities(25)(23)
Accrued liabilities(42)(35)
Income taxes – net106107
Other non-current liabilities(2)(7)
Net cash provided by operating activities646661
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures(125)(119)
Proceeds from sale of assets—1
Net cash used in investing activities(125)(118)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from debt11
Payments of debt(502)(17)
Proceeds from stock options exercised29
Payments for employee taxes withheld from stock awards(3)(10)
Purchases of treasury stock(281)(268)
Cash dividends paid(115)(105)
Other – net—(1)
Net cash used in financing activities(898)(391)
Exchange rate effect on cash and cash equivalents7(8)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents(370)144
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year1,036660
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period$666$804

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. and Subsidiaries

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

(In millions of dollars, except for per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

Common StockAdditional Contributed CapitalRetained EarningsAccumulated Other Comprehensive Earnings (Losses)Treasury StockNoncontrolling InterestTotal
Balance at January 1, 2024$55$1,355$12,162$(172)$(10,285)$326$3,441
Stock-based compensation—8——2—10
Purchases of treasury stock————(277)—(277)
Net earnings——478——19497
Other comprehensive earnings (losses)———(35)—(22)(57)
Cash dividends paid ($1.86 per share)——(92)——(13)(105)
Balance at March 31, 2024$55$1,363$12,548$(207)$(10,560)$310$3,509

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. and Subsidiaries

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

(In millions of dollars, except for per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

Common StockAdditional Contributed CapitalRetained EarningsAccumulated Other Comprehensive Earnings (Losses)Treasury StockNoncontrolling InterestTotal
Balance at January 1, 2025$55$1,399$13,677$(274)$(11,499)$345$3,703
Stock-based compensation—10——1—11
Purchases of treasury stock————(288)—(288)
Net earnings——479——21500
Other comprehensive earnings (losses)———19—1736
Cash dividends paid ($2.05 per share)——(99)——(16)(115)
Balance at March 31, 2025$55$1,409$14,057$(255)$(11,786)$367$3,847

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. and Subsidiaries

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

W.W. Grainger, Inc. is a broad line, business-to-business distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products and services with operations primarily in North America (N.A.), Japan and the United Kingdom (U.K.). In this report, the words “Grainger” or “Company” mean W.W. Grainger, Inc. and its subsidiaries, except where the context makes it clear that the reference is only to W.W. Grainger, Inc. itself and not its subsidiaries.

Basis of Presentation

The Company's Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for interim financial reporting and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and therefore do not include all information and disclosures normally included in the annual Consolidated Financial Statements. The preparation of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported. Actual results could differ materially from these estimated amounts. In the opinion of the Company’s management, the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements reflect all adjustments, which are normal and recurring in nature, necessary for fair financial statement presentation.

The Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2024, has been derived from the audited Consolidated Financial Statements at that date but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements.

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes for the year ended December 31, 2024 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 20, 2025 (2024 Form 10-K).

There were no material changes to the Company’s significant accounting policies from those disclosed in Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8: Financial Statements and Supplementary Data in the Company's 2024 Form 10-K.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. and Subsidiaries

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(Unaudited)

NOTE 2 - REVENUE

Grainger serves a large number of customers in diverse industries, which are subject to different economic and market-specific factors. The Company's revenue is primarily comprised of MRO product sales and related activities.

The Company's presentation of revenue by reportable segment and customer industry most reasonably depicts how the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of the Company's revenue and cash flows are affected by economic and market-specific factors. The majority of Company revenue originates from contracts with a single performance obligation to deliver products, whereby performance obligations are satisfied when control of the product is transferred to the customer per the arranged shipping terms.

The following table presents the Company's percentage of revenue by reportable segment and customer industry:

Three Months Ended March 31,
20252024
Customer Industry(1)High-Touch Solutions N.A.Endless AssortmentTotal Company(2)High-Touch Solutions N.A.Endless AssortmentTotal Company(2)
Manufacturing31%30%31%32%29%31%
Government18%3%15%18%3%15%
Wholesale7%19%10%8%18%9%
Commercial Services7%12%8%7%11%8%
Contractors5%12%6%5%11%6%
Healthcare8%1%6%7%1%6%
Retail4%4%4%4%4%4%
Transportation4%2%4%4%2%4%
Utilities3%2%3%3%2%3%
Warehousing3%—%2%2%—%2%
Other(3)10%15%11%10%19%12%
Total net sales100%100%100%100%100%100%
Percent of total company revenue79%19%100%80%18%100%
(1) Customer industry results for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 primarily use the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). As customers' businesses evolve, industry classifications may change. When these changes occur, Grainger does not recast the customer classification for prior periods as the industry used in the prior period was appropriate at the point-in-time. As a result, year-over-year changes may be impacted.
(2) Total Company includes other businesses, which includes the Cromwell business. Other businesses account for approximately 2% of total Company revenue for both the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024.
(3) Other primarily includes revenue from industries and customers that are not material individually, including hospitality, restaurants, property management and natural resources.

Total accrued sales incentives are recorded in Accrued expenses and were approximately $106 million and $109 million as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively.

The Company had no material unsatisfied performance obligations, contract assets or liabilities as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. and Subsidiaries

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(Unaudited)

NOTE 3 - PROPERTY, BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT

Property, buildings and equipment consisted of the following (in millions of dollars):

As of
March 31, 2025December 31, 2024
Land and land improvements$417$415
Building, structures and improvements1,7631,723
Furniture, fixtures, machinery and equipment1,9931,945
Property, buildings and equipment$4,173$4,083
Less accumulated depreciation2,1992,156
Property, buildings and equipment – net$1,974$1,927

NOTE 4 - GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS

The Company did not identify any significant events or changes in circumstances that indicated the existence of impairment indicators during the three months ended March 31, 2025. As such, quantitative assessments were not required.

The balances and changes in the carrying amount of goodwill by segment are as follows (in millions of dollars):

High-Touch Solutions N.A.Endless AssortmentTotal
Balance at January 1, 2024$315$55$370
Translation(9)(6)(15)
Balance at December 31, 202430649355
Translation—11
Balance at March 31, 2025$306$50$356

The Company's cumulative goodwill impairments as of March 31, 2025 were $137 million. No goodwill impairments were recorded for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024.

The balances and changes in intangible assets – net are as follows (in millions of dollars):

As of
March 31, 2025December 31, 2024
Weighted average lifeGross carrying amountAccumulated amortizationNet carrying amountGross carrying amountAccumulated amortizationNet carrying amount
Customer lists and relationships10.7 years$165$156$9$164$155$9
Trademarks, trade names and other14.9 years3125631247
Non-amortized trade names and otherIndefinite18—1818—18
Capitalized software4.4 years742526216714505209
Total intangible assets5.9 years$956$707$249$927$684$243

W.W. Grainger, Inc. and Subsidiaries

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(Unaudited)

NOTE 5 - DEBT

Total debt, including long-term and current maturities, consisted of the following (in millions of dollars):

As of
March 31, 2025December 31, 2024
Carrying ValueFair ValueCarrying ValueFair Value
4.60% senior notes due 2045$1,000$893$1,000$894
4.45% senior notes due 2034500480500477
3.75% senior notes due 2046400332400332
4.20% senior notes due 2047400316400312
Debt issuance costs – net of amortization and other(22)(22)(21)(21)
Long-term debt2,2781,9992,2791,994
1.85% senior notes due 2025(1)——500498
Other33(1)(1)
Current maturities33499497
Total debt$2,281$2,002$2,778$2,491
(1) On February 18, 2025, Grainger repaid in full the principal amount of $500 million for the 1.85% Senior Notes that matured in February 2025. The related interest rate swaps with a notional value of $450 million that hedged a portion of the interest rate risk related to this debt expired on February 15, 2025.

Senior Notes

Between 2015 and 2024, Grainger issued $2.8 billion in unsecured debt (Senior Notes) primarily to provide flexibility in funding general working capital needs, share repurchases and long-term cash requirements. The Senior Notes require no principal payments until maturity and interest is paid semi-annually.

The Company incurred debt issuance costs related to its Senior Notes, representing underwriting fees and other expenses. These costs were recorded as a contra-liability in Long-term debt and are being amortized over the term of the Senior Notes using the straight-line method to Interest expense – net. The cumulative unamortized costs were $22 million as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024.

Fair Value

The estimated fair value of the Company’s Senior Notes was based on available external pricing data and current market rates for similar debt instruments, among other factors, which are classified as Level 2 inputs within the fair value hierarchy.

NOTE 6 - SEGMENT INFORMATION

Grainger's two reportable segments are High-Touch Solutions N.A. (HTSNA) and Endless Assortment (EA). These reportable segments align with Grainger's go-to-market strategies and bifurcated business models of high-touch solutions and endless assortment that generate sales primarily through the distribution of MRO products. The remaining businesses are classified as Other to reconcile to consolidated results. These businesses individually and in the aggregate do not meet the criteria of a reportable segment.

The operating and reportable segments reflect the way the chief operating decision maker (CODM) evaluates the business. All expenses directly attributable to each reportable segment are included in the operating results for each segment. The CODM is not regularly provided and does not evaluate the segments using total asset or capital expenditure information and it is therefore not disclosed. For further discussion on the CODM, see Note 12 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8: Financial Statements and Supplementary Data in the Company’s 2024 Form 10-K.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. and Subsidiaries

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(Unaudited)

The following is a summary of segment results (in millions of dollars):

Three Months Ended March 31,
20252024
High-Touch Solutions N.A.Endless AssortmentTotalHigh-Touch Solutions N.A.Endless AssortmentTotal
Net sales(1)$3,397$828$4,225$3,405$751$4,156
Reconciliation of net sales
Other net sales8179
Total company net sales$4,306$4,235
Less:
Cost of goods sold1,9585831,982531
Other segment items(2)839173813161
Segment operating earnings$600$72$672$610$59$669
Reconciliation of operating earnings
Other operating earnings——
Total company operating earnings$672$669
(1) Intersegment sales are recorded at values based on market prices, which creates intercompany profit sales that are eliminated within each segment to present only the impact of net sales to external customers.
(2) Other segment items for HTSNA and EA consist of selling, general and administrative expenses primarily comprised of payroll and benefits, marketing expense, depreciation, amortization and non-cash lease expense, corporate overhead expenses allocated to each segment based upon benefits received, occupancy and other miscellaneous expenses. Intersegment expenses including fees and certain incurred costs for shared services are also included within the amounts shown above.

Depreciation, amortization and non-cash lease expense presented below is related to long-lived assets, capitalized software and right-of-use assets. Long-lived assets consist of property, buildings and equipment.

Three Months Ended March 31,
20252024
Depreciation, amortization and non-cash lease expense:
High-Touch Solutions N.A.$58$54
Endless Assortment1918
Other22
Total$79$74

Following is revenue by geographic location (in millions of dollars):

Three Months Ended March 31,
20252024
Revenue by geographic location*(1)**:*
United States$3,504$3,446
Japan480451
Canada162168
Other foreign countries160170
$4,306$4,235
(1) Revenue presented above is attributed to the destination country where the customer is located.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. and Subsidiaries

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(Unaudited)

The Company is a broad line distributor of MRO products. Products are regularly added and removed from the Company's inventory. Accordingly, it would be impractical to provide sales information by product category due to the way the business is managed and the dynamic nature of the inventory offered, including the evolving list of products stocked and additional products available online but not stocked. For further information regarding the Company's sales by segment and customer industry, see Note 2.

NOTE 7 - CONTINGENCIES AND LEGAL MATTERS

From time to time the Company is involved in various legal and administrative proceedings, including claims related to: product liability, safety or compliance; privacy and cybersecurity matters; negligence; contract disputes; environmental issues; unclaimed property; wage and hour laws; intellectual property; advertising and marketing; consumer protection; pricing (including disaster or emergency declaration pricing statutes); employment practices; regulatory compliance, including trade and export matters; anti-bribery and corruption; and other matters and actions brought by team members, consumers, competitors, suppliers, customers, governmental entities and other third parties.

The Company remains in litigation involving KMCO, LLC (KMCO) as previously disclosed. The Company continues to contest the remaining KMCO-related lawsuits and cannot reasonably predict the timing, outcome or any estimate of possible loss or range of losses on the remaining KMCO lawsuits.

NOTE 8 - SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

On April 30, 2025, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share, payable June 1, 2025, to shareholders of record on May 12, 2025.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. and Subsidiaries

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL

CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

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