AER vs. FAST: AerCap vs. Fastenal Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do AerCap (AER) and Fastenal (FAST) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

AerCap (AER) and Fastenal (FAST) are both classified in the Trading Companies & Distributors sub-industry within the broader Trading Companies & Distributors industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for AerCap (AER) and Fastenal (FAST)
Profile Item	AER	FAST
Name	AerCap Holdings N.V.	Fastenal Co.
Country/Region	Ireland	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Trading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Trading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization	25.76 billion USD	60.80 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	November 21, 2006	August 20, 1987
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AER

FAST

GSPC

AerCap (AER) vs. Fastenal (FAST), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for AerCap (AER) and Fastenal (FAST). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for AerCap (AER) and Fastenal (FAST). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AerCap (AER) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	AER	FAST
Total Return (1Y)	32.17%	36.82%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	39.43%	25.71%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	21.06%	15.98%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AER

FAST

GSPC

AerCap (AER) vs. Fastenal (FAST), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for AerCap (AER) and Fastenal (FAST). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for AerCap (AER) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	AER	FAST
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	26.10%	24.55%
Beta (5Y)	0.95	0.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-44.81%	-30.71%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.13M	7.21M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AER and FAST are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for AerCap (AER) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	AER	FAST
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.07	1.33
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.59	2.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Fastenal (FAST) at 35.26% sits in the top ROE quartile, while AerCap (AER) at 17.00% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for FAST.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

17.00%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
AER: 17.00%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

35.26%

Max: 40.55%
FAST: 35.26%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

AerCap (AER) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

AerCap (AER) at 34.47% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Fastenal (FAST) at 15.62% also retains a top-quartile share.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

34.47%

AER: 34.47%
Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

15.62%

Max: 27.47%
FAST: 15.62%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

AerCap (AER) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

AerCap (AER) at 62.55% shows unusually strong operating efficiency — above its industry’s operating margin range — and Fastenal (FAST) at 21.55% also operates in the top quartile.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

62.55%

AER: 62.55%
Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

21.55%

Max: 36.60%
FAST: 21.55%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

AerCap (AER) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AerCap (AER) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	AER	FAST
ROE (TTM)	17.00%	35.26%
ROA (TTM)	4.52%	21.97%
Net Margin (TTM)	34.47%	15.62%
Operating Margin (TTM)	62.55%	21.55%
Gross Margin (TTM)	63.02%	44.61%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both AerCap (AER) at 6.50% and Fastenal (FAST) at 8.67% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

AerCap (AER) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

AerCap (AER) at 97.41% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Fastenal (FAST) at 9.00% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for AER.

AerCap (AER) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AerCap (AER) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	AER	FAST
Revenue Growth (YoY)	6.50%	8.67%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	6.69%	5.52%
EPS Growth (YoY)	97.41%	9.00%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	4.87%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

AerCap (AER) at 1.45 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Fastenal (FAST) at 3.93 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

1.45

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
AER: 1.45
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

3.93

Max: 5.22
FAST: 3.93
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

AerCap (AER) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Fastenal (FAST) at 0.11 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while AerCap (AER) at 2.33 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

2.33

AER: 2.33
Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

0.11

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
FAST: 0.11
Min: 0.00

AerCap (AER) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for AerCap (AER) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	AER	FAST
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.45	3.93
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.33	0.11
Net Debt / EBITDA	7.77	0.12

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Fastenal (FAST) at 1.81% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while AerCap (AER) at 0.96% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, FAST the richer one.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

0.96%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
AER: 0.96%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

1.81%

Max: 2.66%
FAST: 1.81%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AerCap (AER) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

AerCap (AER) at 7.52% keeps its payout in the industry’s typical band, while Fastenal (FAST) at 78.05% pays out more than any of its peers — the most stretched cover in its group.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

7.52%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
AER: 7.52%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

78.05%

FAST: 78.05%
Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AerCap (AER) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AerCap (AER) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	AER	FAST
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.96%	1.81%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	7.52%	78.05%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

AerCap (AER) at 8.67 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Fastenal (FAST) at 43.08 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

8.67

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
AER: 8.67
Min: 3.03

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

43.08

Max: 59.38
FAST: 43.08
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

AerCap (AER) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

AerCap (AER) at 2.84 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Fastenal (FAST) at 6.70 sits in the pricier quartile — FAST costs more per dollar of sales.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

2.84

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
AER: 2.84
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

6.70

Max: 7.54
FAST: 6.70
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

AerCap (AER) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

AerCap (AER) at 1.36 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile relative to book while Fastenal (FAST) at 14.65 prices above its industry range — a wide valuation gap against assets.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

1.36

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
AER: 1.36
Min: -1.08

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

14.65

FAST: 14.65
Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

AerCap (AER) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AerCap (AER) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	AER	FAST
P/E Ratio (TTM)	8.67	43.08
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.84	6.70
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.36	14.65
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-6.60%	1.51%