Why This Matters to Distributors: Graybar’s sales growth accelerated in the third quarter, while earnings rose twice as fast as revenue. The electrical and industrial distributor also continued expanding through acquisitions, completing its third purchase of 2026.
Graybar’s third-quarter sales increased 22% to $4 billion, and net income rose 43.6% to $171.3 million, marking its second consecutive quarter of record sales and earnings.
The St. Louis-based electrical and industrial distributor reported the results Oct. 26. For the first nine months of 2026, sales increased 15.5% to $11.1 billion, while net income climbed 31.7% to $471.8 million.
The quarterly results showed faster growth in both sales and earnings than the nine-month period. Graybar retained approximately 4.3 cents in profit for every dollar of third-quarter sales, compared with about 3.6 cents a year earlier, based on the company’s reported figures.
Graybar did not disclose how much of its sales growth came from acquisitions, price increases, or higher sales volume. It also did not report results by product category, customer market, or geography, leaving unclear which parts of the business drove the gains.
During the quarter, Graybar acquired New Jersey-based Samson Electrical Supply, its third acquisition of the year. The earnings announcement did not disclose the purchase price or Samson’s contribution to quarterly sales and earnings.
“Looking ahead, we will continue to invest in the people, technologies and capabilities that support our strategy,” said Kathleen Mazzarella, Graybar’s chairman, president, and chief executive officer.
Graybar operates 355 distribution facilities across North America. The employee-owned company sells electrical, industrial, automation and connectivity products and provides supply chain management and logistics services.
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