Sign in

    Jake Levinson • Melius Research LLC

    Jake Levinson's questions to WW Grainger Inc (GWW) leadership

    Jake Levinson's questions to WW Grainger Inc (GWW) leadership • Q2 2025

    Question

    Jake Levinson asked about how tariffs are affecting the economics of private label versus branded products and what has driven the recent success at Zoro.

    Answer

    CEO D.G. Macpherson explained that the economic impact of tariffs on private label products is SKU-dependent and the company is watching it closely. Regarding Zoro's success, he credited improved customer targeting and repeat business, porting over logic from MonotaRO, which has driven the customer repeat rate up 200 basis points year-over-year, leading to strong operating leverage.

    Ask Fintool Equity Research AI

    Jake Levinson's questions to Xylem Inc (XYL) leadership

    Jake Levinson's questions to Xylem Inc (XYL) leadership • Q2 2025

    Question

    Jake Levinson of Melius Research LLC requested more context on the company's record on-time delivery performance, asking for metrics to quantify the improvement. He also asked about capital deployment strategy, given Xylem's under-levered balance sheet.

    Answer

    CEO Matthew Pine described on-time performance as a key metric and a direct result of simplification efforts, citing a 600 basis point year-over-year improvement in the month of June. On capital deployment, CFO William Grogan confirmed a 'forward-leaning' stance on M&A, highlighting a robust funnel of strategic, high-return assets. He indicated the balance sheet would be leveraged when the right opportunities become actionable.

    Ask Fintool Equity Research AI