, /PRNewswire/ -- Grainger (NYSE: GWW) today reported results for the year ended , 2015. Sales of were flat versus 2014. Reported net earnings of decreased 4 percent versus in 2014. Reported earnings per share of increased 1 percent versus in 2014. The years 2015 and 2014 included the following restructuring/non-operating items:

Twelve Months Ended

December 31,

2015

2014

% Change

Diluted Earnings Per Share as reported:

$11.58

$11.45

1%

Restructuring (United States)

0.33

Restructuring (Canada)

0.05

Restructuring (Other Businesses)

0.07

Discrete tax items

(0.09)

Business shutdown (Brazil)

0.40

Pension change (Fabory)

0.15

Restructuring (Fabory)

0.15

Goodwill impairment (Colombia)

0.11

Subtotal

0.36

0.81

Diluted Earnings Per Share as adjusted:

$11.94

$12.26

(3)%

Note: Information regarding the adjustments is detailed in the discussion of the 2015 fourth quarter and in the podcast.

'This was a challenging year for us and for most industrial companies, with an unprecedented combination of declining oil and commodity prices, low inflation and a strong U.S. dollar,' said Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer . 'We took action in 2015 by restructuring several of our businesses, resulting in a leaner cost structure. As previously communicated, we will continue to execute changes in and in 2016.' Ryan concluded, 'We also continued to invest for the future by expanding and upgrading our industry-leading supply chain, digital capabilities, sales force productivity tools and KeepStock, which enables us to serve customers the way they want to be served.'

Results in 2015 benefited from a net per share of non-repeating operating benefits primarily related to the shift in timing of the implementation of SAP in into the first quarter of 2016 and a one-time reduction in healthcare liabilities in the United States.

The company reiterated its 2016 sales and earnings per share guidance issued on November 12, 2015. The company continues to expect -1 to 7 percent sales growth and earnings per share of . Further information on 2016 guidance assumptions can be found in the podcast available on the company's website.

For the full year, the company generated in operating cash flow versus $994 million in 2014. Gross capital expenditures for the year were versus in 2014, including expansion of the distribution center network in and investments in SAP. Grainger repurchased approximately 6.1 million shares of stock for in 2015 as part of the expanded share buyback program announced in . The company expects to deploy to share repurchases in 2016 and 2017. As of year-end 2015, the company had 9.5 million shares remaining under the current repurchase authorization. Dividends paid in 2015 totaled $306 million. For the year, Grainger returned in cash to shareholders in the form of share repurchases and dividends.

During 2015, the company achieved the following:

  • Adjusted its capital structure by completing a debt initial public offering while maintaining a AA- rating;
  • Improved customer service and efficiency by relocating to larger distribution centers in for Acklands-Grainger and in , for ;
  • Established a leading position in the United Kingdom MRO market with the acquisition of and created further opportunity for online growth in the and ;
  • Announced DG Macpherson as Chief Operating Officer;
  • Improved network efficiency by closing 49 branches in , 16 branches in and 16 branches at Fabory in ;
  • Reorganized the U.S. sales and marketing team to accelerate market share gains for large and medium-sized customers;
  • Recorded in sales for Zoro in , a 62 percent increase over 2014;
  • Received the Internet Retailer award for B2B eCommerce Player of the Year;
  • Installed SAP in , with scheduled for , allowing for better data visibility across North American businesses and ultimately enabling direct ship to customers from distribution centers in and
  • Raised the quarterly dividend by 8 percent, representing the 44 consecutive year of increased dividends.

Branch closures and reorganizations like those noted above drove the majority of restructuring costs recorded in the 2015 fourth quarter.

2015 Fourth Quarter
 Sales for the 2015 fourth quarter of decreased 1 percent versus the 2014 fourth quarter. Reported net earnings of declined 2 percent versus $149 million in 2014. Reported fourth quarter earnings per share of increased 7 percent versus in 2014. Results for the quarter included a net per share of non-repeating operating benefits already noted for the year. The 2015 and 2014 fourth quarters included the following restructuring/non-operating items:

Three Months Ended

December 31,

2015

2014

% Change

Diluted Earnings Per Share as reported:

$2.30

$2.14

7%

Restructuring (United States)

0.26

Restructuring (Canada)

0.03

Restructuring (Other Businesses)

0.01

Discrete tax items

(0.11)

Business shutdown (Brazil)

0.40

Restructuring (Fabory)

0.15

Goodwill impairment (Colombia)

0.11

Subtotal

0.19

0.66

Diluted Earnings Per Share as adjusted:

$2.49

$2.80

(11)%

During the quarter, the company recorded net charges totaling per share resulting in an adjusted earnings per share of . In the 2015 fourth quarter, the company incurred restructuring for the business in and initiated restructuring in Canada. In the 2014 fourth quarter, the company closed or restructured operations in , and Fabory, totaling per share, resulting in adjusted earnings per share of . Excluding items detailed above in both years, adjusted company net earnings for the 2015 quarter decreased 19 percent and adjusted earnings per share decreased 11 percent versus the prior year.

Company sales in the 2015 fourth quarter decreased 1 percent. There were 64 selling days in both the 2015 and 2014 fourth quarters. The 1 percent sales decline for the quarter consisted of a 2 percentage point decline from unfavorable foreign exchange, a 1 percentage point decline from price, a 1 percentage point decline from lower sales of seasonal products and a 1 percentage point decline from sales of Ebola related safety products in 2014 that did not repeat, partially offset by 4 percentage points from the Cromwell acquisition.

Company operating earnings of for the 2015 fourth quarter decreased 6 percent versus the 2014 quarter. This decrease was driven by the 1 percent sales decline and a lower gross profit margin, partially offset by operating expense leverage as expenses declined at a faster rate than sales. The company's gross profit margin for the quarter declined 1.6 percentage point, primarily driven by better relative performance with lower margin customers and price deflation versus slight cost inflation. Cost inflation at the company level was driven by the business in . Continued weakness in the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar drove product cost inflation for U.S.-denominated purchases. Excluding the business in , the company experienced slight product cost deflation versus the 2014 fourth quarter. Operating expenses declined due to lower employee benefits costs, partially offset by higher severance and contract service costs and included of growth and infrastructure spend. Excluding of restructuring costs in 2015 and of restructuring costs in 2014, adjusted operating earnings in the quarter were down 11 percent.

The company has two reportable business segments, and , which represented approximately 82 percent of company sales for the quarter. The remaining operating units located primarily in , and are included in Other Businesses and are not reportable segments. Results for the company's single channel online model businesses are included in Other Businesses.

Sales in segment decreased 3 percent in the 2015 fourth quarter versus the prior year. The 3 percent sales decline was driven by a 2 percentage point decline from volume, a 1 percentage point decline from price, a 1 percentage point decline from lower sales of seasonal products and a 1 percentage point decline from sales of Ebola related safety products in 2014 that did not repeat, partially offset by 1 percentage point from higher intercompany sales to Zoro and 1 percentage point from the favorable timing of the Christmas holiday. Retail and Government customers had the strongest sales performance in the quarter.

Operating earnings for segment decreased 16 percent in the quarter driven by the 3 percent sales decline and lower gross profit margins. Gross profit margins for the quarter decreased 1.7 percentage point driven by price deflation exceeding cost deflation and better relative performance with lower margin customers. Operating expenses declined 1 percent due to lower employee benefits costs, partially offset by higher severance and contract service costs. Excluding of restructuring costs, adjusted operating earnings for the U.S. segment in the quarter were down 9 percent versus the prior year.


Sales in the 2015 fourth quarter at Acklands-Grainger decreased 27 percent in U.S. dollars, 14 percent in local currency. The 14 percent sales decrease consisted of a 17 percentage point decrease from volume and a 1 percentage point decrease from lower sales of seasonal products, offset by a 4 percentage point contribution from price. Weakness in the oil and gas industries continued to affect sales to customers. Sales to all customer end markets except Government and Forestry were down versus the prior year.

Operating earnings in declined 75 percent in the 2015 fourth quarter. The gross profit margin in improved 1.3 percentage point versus the prior year. The 2015 fourth quarter contained favorable inventory adjustments versus the 2014 quarter; in the absence of those adjustments, the gross profit margin would have been down versus the prior year. Operating expenses in were down 12 percent in the quarter. Excluding of restructuring costs, adjusted operating expenses were down 15 percent and adjusted operating earnings in the quarter were down 60 percent.

Other Businesses
 Sales for the Other Businesses increased 41 percent for the 2015 fourth quarter versus the prior year. This performance consisted of 33 percentage points from Cromwell, acquired on , and 18 percentage points of growth from volume and price, partially offset by a 10 percentage point decline from unfavorable foreign exchange. Organic sales growth in the Other Businesses was primarily driven by in and Zoro in .

The Other Businesses posted of operating earnings in the 2015 fourth quarter versus a operating loss in the 2014 fourth quarter. During the 2014 fourth quarter, the company recorded the impairment and restructuring actions noted in the table above, resulting in a charge. Excluding these charges, the Other Businesses were breakeven in the 2014 period. The increase in earnings versus the prior year was driven by strong operating performance from and Zoro U.S.

Other
 Other income and expense was a net expense of in the 2015 fourth quarter versus a net expense of $5 million in the 2014 fourth quarter. This increase was primarily attributable to higher interest expense from the in long-term debt issued in used to fund the share repurchases and losses from the company's investment in clean energy that began in 2015.

The effective tax rate in 2015 was 36.5 percent for the quarter and 37.2 percent for the full year. Excluding the effect of the items detailed in the tables above, the adjusted tax rate was 39.2 percent for the quarter and 37.6 percent for 2015, compared to 38.2 percent in the 2014 quarter and year. The discrete tax items primarily relate to reduced deferred tax liabilities stemming from a lower enacted tax rate in the for Cromwell. The increase in the adjusted quarterly rate was primarily due to a higher proportion of earnings in versus geographies with lower tax rates. The company's clean energy investment generated per share of earnings for the year. The company is currently projecting a tax rate of 35.2 to 36.2 percent for 2016, compared to the prior projection of 36.3 to 37.3 percent on , 2015. The lower rate is driven by the incremental benefit from the company's second clean energy investment.

Cash Flow
 Operating cash flow was in the 2015 fourth quarter versus in the 2014 fourth quarter. The company used the cash generated during the quarter and proceeds from debt to invest in the business and return cash to shareholders through share repurchase and dividends. Gross capital expenditures were in the 2015 fourth quarter versus $147 million in the fourth quarter of 2014. In the quarter, Grainger returned to shareholders through in dividends and to buy back 1.0 million shares of stock.

, with 2015 sales of , is leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating products, with operations also in , and .

Visitwww.grainger.com/investor to view information about the company, including a history of sales by segment and a podcast regarding 2015 fourth quarter results. TheGrainger website also includes more information through ourFact Book andCorporate Social Responsibility report.

Safe Harbor Statement

All statements in this communication, other than those relating to historical facts, are 'forward-looking statements.' These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future strategic plans and future financial and operating results. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations include, among others: higher product costs or other expenses; a major loss of customers; loss or disruption of source of supply; increased competitive pricing pressures; failure to develop or implement new technologies or business strategies; the outcome of pending and future litigation or governmental or regulatory proceedings, including with respect to wage and hour, anti-bribery and corruption, environmental, advertising, privacy and cybersecurity matters; investigations, inquiries, audits and changes in laws and regulations; disruption of information technology or data security systems; general industry or market conditions; general global economic conditions; currency exchange rate fluctuations; market volatility; commodity price volatility; labor shortages; facilities disruptions or shutdowns; higher fuel costs or disruptions in transportation services; natural and other catastrophes; unanticipated weather conditions; loss of key members of management; our ability to operate, integrate and leverage acquired businesses and other factors which can be found in our filings with the , including our most recent periodic reports filed on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, which are available on our Investor Relations website. Forward-looking statements are given only as of the date of this release and we disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS (Unaudited)

(In thousands, except for per share amounts)

Three Months Ended
December 31,

Twelve Months Ended
December 31,

2015

2014

2015

2014

Net sales

$

2,478,258

$

2,510,959

$

9,973,384

$

9,964,953

Cost of merchandise sold

1,475,883

1,456,158

5,741,956

5,650,711

Gross profit

1,002,375

1,054,801

4,231,428

4,314,242

Warehousing, marketing and administrative expenses

750,749

788,287

2,931,108

2,967,125

Operating earnings

251,626

266,514

1,300,320

1,347,117

Other income and (expense)

Interest income

232

384

1,166

2,068

Interest expense

(13,852)

(2,096)

(33,571)

(10,093)

Loss from equity method investment

(1,467)

-

(11,740)

-

Other non-operating income and (expense)

(1,606)

(3,089)

(5,470)

(4,706)

Total other income and (expense)

(16,693)

(4,801)

(49,615)

(12,731)

Earnings before income taxes

234,933

261,713

1,250,705

1,334,386

Income taxes

85,762

110,599

465,531

522,090

Net earnings

149,171

151,114

785,174

812,296

Net earnings attributable to noncontrolling interest

3,939

2,275

16,178

10,567

Net earnings attributable to W.W. Grainger, Inc.

$

145,232

$

148,839

$

768,996

$

801,729

Earnings per share

-Basic

$

2.32

$

2.17

$

11.69

$

11.59

-Diluted

$

2.30

$

2.14

$

11.58

$

11.45

Average number of shares outstanding

-Basic

62,100

67,899

65,157

68,334

-Diluted

62,550

68,705

65,765

69,206

Diluted Earnings Per Share

Net earnings as reported

$

145,232

$

148,839

$

768,996

$

801,729

Earnings allocated to participating securities

(1,359)

(1,638)

(7,515)

(9,444)

Net earnings available to common shareholders

$

143,873

$

147,201

$

761,481

$

792,285

Weighted average shares adjusted for dilutive securities

62,550

68,705

65,765

69,206

Diluted earnings per share

$

2.30

$

2.14

$

11.58

$

11.45

SEGMENT RESULTS (Unaudited)

(In thousands of dollars)

Three Months Ended
December 31,

Twelve Months Ended
December 31,

2015

2014

2015

2014

Sales

United States

$

1,921,840

$

1,990,733

$

7,963,416

$

7,926,075

Canada

203,402

279,140

890,530

1,075,754

Other Businesses

434,361

307,594

1,405,750

1,182,186

Intersegment sales

(81,345)

(66,508)

(286,312)

(219,062)

Net sales to external customers

$

2,478,258

$

2,510,959

$

9,973,384

$

9,964,953

Operating earnings

United States

$

283,529

$

339,003

$

1,371,626

$

1,444,288

Canada

4,894

19,609

27,368

87,583

Other Businesses

9,108

(50,986)

48,051

(37,806)

Unallocated expense

(45,905)

(41,112)

(146,725)

(146,948)

Operating earnings

$

251,626

$

266,514

$

1,300,320

$

1,347,117

Company operating margin

10.2%

10.6%

13.0%

13.5%

ROIC* for Company

28.5%

31.2%

ROIC* for United States

45.1%

50.5%

ROIC* for Canada

4.3%

13.6%

*The GAAP financial statements are the source for all amounts used in the Return on (ROIC) calculation. ROIC is calculated using operating earnings divided by net working assets (a 5-point average for the year). Net working assets are working assets minus working liabilities defined as follows: working assets equal total assets less cash equivalents (5-point average of , deferred taxes, and investments in unconsolidated entities, plus the LIFO reserve (5-point average of ). Working liabilities are the sum of trade payables, accrued compensation and benefits, accrued contributions to employees' profit sharing plans, and accrued expenses.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)

Preliminary

(In thousands of dollars)

At December 31,

Assets

2015

2014

Cash and cash equivalents

$

240,261

$

226,644

Accounts receivable - net

1,209,641

1,172,924

Inventories

1,414,177

1,356,396

Prepaid expenses and other assets

134,688

150,198

Deferred income taxes (1)

-

61,387

Total current assets

2,998,767

2,967,549

Property, buildings and equipment - net (2)

1,431,241

1,324,346

Deferred income taxes (1)

83,996

16,718

Goodwill (3)

582,336

506,905

Other assets and intangibles - net (3)

711,540

468,734

Total assets

$

5,807,880

$

5,284,252

Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity

Short-term debt (4)

$

353,072

$

56,896

Current maturities of long-term debt (5)

247,346

23,404

Trade accounts payable

583,474

554,088

Accrued compensation and benefits

196,667

191,696

Accrued contributions to employees' profit sharing plans (6)

124,587

178,076

Accrued expenses

266,702

245,300

Income taxes payable

16,686

12,256

Total current liabilities

1,788,534

1,261,716

Long-term debt (5)

1,338,539

404,536

Deferred income taxes and tax uncertainties

154,352

95,455

Employment-related and other non-current liabilities

173,741

238,444

Shareholders' equity (7)

2,352,714

3,284,101

Total liabilities and shareholders' equity

$

5,807,880

$

5,284,252

(1)

The company adopted the newly issued accounting standard requiring entities to present deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities as non-current. No prior year reclass was necessary.

(2)

Property, buildings and equipment - net increased $107 million, or 8%, primarily due to investments in supply chain, technology infrastructure and the acquisition of Cromwell in September 2015.

(3)

Goodwill and other assets and intangibles increased due to the acquisition of Cromwell.

(4)

Short-term debt increased primarily due to the issuance of commercial paper to partially fund the Cromwell acquisition.

(5)

Long-term debt and the related current maturities increased due to the issuance of senior notes in the second quarter of 2015 and the issuance of a long-term loan in the third quarter to partially fund the Cromwell acquisition.

(6)

Accrued contributions to employees' profit sharing plans decreased $53 million or 30% due primarily to lower company performance.

(7)

Common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2015 was 62,028,708 shares as compared with 67,432,041 shares at December 31, 2014, primarily due to share repurchases.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)

Preliminary

(In thousands of dollars)

Twelve Months Ended

December 31,

2015

2014

Cash flows from operating activities:

Net earnings

$

785,174

$

812,296

Provision for losses on accounts receivable

10,181

12,945

Deferred income taxes and tax uncertainties

(2,424)

(13,732)

Depreciation and amortization

227,967

208,326

Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets

-

16,652

Losses (gains) from non-cash charges and sales of assets

2,765

41,037

Stock-based compensation

46,861

49,032

Losses from equity method investment

11,740

-

Change in operating assets and liabilities - net of business acquisitions and divestitures:

Accounts receivable

(960)

(122,580)

Inventories

(36,069)

(92,443)

Prepaid expenses and other assets

18,600

(24,550)

Trade accounts payable

22,076

32,019

Other current liabilities

(51,220)

43,334

Current income taxes payable

5,030

(1,487)

Accrued employment-related benefits cost

(27,716)

35,027

Other - net

(348)

(1,421)

Net cash provided by operating activities

1,011,657

994,455

Cash flows from investing activities:

Additions to property, buildings and equipment

(373,868)

(387,390)

Proceeds from sales of assets

14,857

26,755

Equity method investment

(20,382)

-

Cash paid for business acquisitions

(464,431)

(30,713)

Other - net

8,567

7,290

Net cash used in investing activities

(835,257)

(384,058)

Cash flows from financing activities:

Net increase (decrease) in short-term debt

301,211

(3,556)

Net increase (decrease) in long-term debt

1,192,468

(20,403)

Proceeds from stock options exercised

60,885

48,579

Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation

27,553

33,772

Purchase of treasury stock

(1,420,444)

(559,761)

Cash dividends paid

(306,474)

(291,395)

Net cash used in financing activities

(144,801)

(792,764)

Exchange rate effect on cash and cash equivalents

(17,982)

(21,633)

Net change in cash and cash equivalents

13,617

(204,000)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

226,644

430,644

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

$

240,261

$

226,644

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION - CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (Unaudited)
 (In thousands of dollars)

The company supplemented the reporting of financial information determined under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) with certain non-GAAP financial measures, which the company refers to as 'adjusted' measures, including adjusted operating earnings, adjusted segment operating earnings, adjusted net earnings and adjusted diluted earnings per share. Adjusted measures exclude items that may not be indicative of core operating results. The company believes that these non-GAAP measures provide meaningful information to assist shareholders in understanding financial results and assessing prospects for future performance. Management believes adjusted operating earnings, adjusted net earnings and adjusted diluted earnings per share are important indicators of operations because they exclude items that may not be indicative of our core operating results, and provide a better baseline for analyzing trends in our underlying businesses. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies' non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names. These adjusted financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for reported results. These non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of operations that, when viewed with GAAP results, provide a more complete understanding of the business. The company strongly encourages investors and shareholders to review company financial statements and publicly-filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure.

The reconciliations provided below reconcile the non-GAAP financial measures adjusted net earnings, adjusted diluted earnings per share, adjusted operating earnings and adjusted segment operating earnings with GAAP financial measures:

Three Months Ended
December 31,

Twelve Months Ended
December 31,

2015

2014

%

2015

2014

%

Operating earnings reported

$

251,626

$

266,514

(6)%

$

1,300,320

$

1,347,117

(3)%

Restructuring(United States)

26,135

-

35,472

-

Restructuring (Canada)

3,038

-

4,183

-

Restructuring (Other Businesses)

1,113

-

5,696

-

Business shutdown (Brazil)

-

29,140

-

29,140

Pension change (Fabory)

-

-

-

13,639

Restructuring (Fabory)

-

10,460

-

10,460

Goodwill impairment ( Colombia)

-

11,795

-

11,795

Subtotal

30,286

51,395

45,351

65,034

Operating earnings adjusted

$

281,912

$

317,909

(11)%

$

1,345,671

$

1,412,151

(5)%

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION - CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (Unaudited)

(In thousands of dollars)

Three Months Ended
December 31,

Twelve Months Ended
December 31,

2015

2014

%

2015

2014

%

Segment operating earnings adjusted

United States

308,662

339,003

1,406,133

1,444,288

Canada

7,932

19,609

31,551

87,583

Other Businesses

10,221

409

53,747

27,228

Unallocated expense

(44,903)

(41,112)

(145,760)

(146,948)

Segment operating earnings adjusted

$

281,912

$

317,909

(11)%

$

1,345,671

$

1,412,151

(5)%

Company operating margin adjusted

11.4%

12.7%

13.5%

14.2%

ROIC* for Company

29.5%

32.7%

ROIC* for United States

46.2%

50.5%

ROIC* for Canada

5.0%

13.6%

*Adjusted ROIC is calculated as defined on page 8, excluding the items adjusting operating earnings as noted above.

Three Months Ended
December 31,

Twelve Months Ended
December 31,

2015

2014

%

2015

2014

%

Net earnings reported

$

145,232

$

148,839

(2)%

$

768,996

$

801,729

(4)%

Restructuring (United States)

16,361

22,207

Restructuring (Canada)

2,245

3,090

Restructuring (Other Businesses)

885

4,814

Tax discrete items

(6,870)

(5,984)

Business shutdown (Brazil)

-

27,779

-

27,779

Pension change (Fabory)

-

-

-

10,229

Restructuring (Fabory)

-

10,460

-

10,460

Goodwill impairment (Colombia)

-

7,785

-

7,785

Subtotal

12,621

46,024

24,127

56,253

Net earnings adjusted

$

157,853

$

194,863

(19)%

$

793,123

$

857,982

(8)%

Diluted earnings per share reported

$

2.30

$

2.14

7%

$

11.58

$

11.45

1%

Restructuring (United States)

0.26

0.33

Restructuring (Canada)

0.03

0.05

Restructuring (Other Businesses)

0.01

0.07

Tax discrete items

(0.11)

(0.09)

Business shutdown (Brazil)

-

0.40

-

0.40

Pension change (Fabory)

-

-

-

0.15

Restructuring (Fabory)

-

0.15

-

0.15

Goodwill impairment (Colombia)

-

0.11

-

0.11

Subtotal

0.19

0.66

0.36

0.81

Diluted earnings per share adjusted

$

2.49

$

2.80

(11)%

$

11.94

$

12.26

(3)%

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grainger-reports-results-for-year-ended-december-31-2015-300209438.html

SOURCE

Media: Joseph Micucci, Director, Media Relations, O: 847-535-0879, M: 847-830-5328: or Grainger Media Relations Hotline, 847-535-5678: or Investors: Laura Brown, SVP, Communications & Investor Relations, O: 847-535-0409, M: 847-804-1383: or William Chapman, Sr. Director, Investor Relations, O: 847-535-0881, M: 847-456-8647: or Michael Ferreter, Financial Communications Manager, O: 847-535-1439, M: 847-271-6357

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Original Document: http://invest.grainger.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=76754&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2132206