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BA vs. FAST: Boeing vs. Fastenal Stock Comparison

How do Boeing (BA) 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

Boeing (BA) and Fastenal (FAST) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but BA is classified in Aerospace & Defense while FAST is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Company profile comparison for Boeing (BA) and Fastenal (FAST)
Profile ItemBAFAST
NameThe Boeing CompanyFastenal Co.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryAerospace & DefenseTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryAerospace & DefenseTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization137.41 billion USD60.80 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateJanuary 2, 1962August 20, 1987
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BA
FAST
GSPC
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Boeing (BA) 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

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

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Boeing (BA) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBAFAST
Total Return (1Y)-10.22%36.82%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-3.32%25.71%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-4.57%15.98%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BA
FAST
GSPC
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Boeing (BA) 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

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

Risk Metrics

Boeing (BA) has an aggressive beta of 1.31, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Fastenal (FAST) is defensive at 0.64 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Boeing (BA) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBAFAST
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)35.25%24.55%
Beta (5Y)1.310.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)-50.29%-30.71%
Avg. Volume (3M)7.77M7.21M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BA 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 Boeing (BA) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBAFAST
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.411.33
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.602.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Fastenal (FAST) earns 35.26% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Boeing (BA) has no ROE this period.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

--

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
BA
--

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%
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Boeing (BA) vs. Fastenal (FAST): BA does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; FAST is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Fastenal (FAST) at 15.62% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Boeing (BA) at 8.07%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

8.07%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
BA
8.07%
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%
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Boeing (BA) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Fastenal (FAST) at 21.55% carries a top-quartile operating margin, while Boeing (BA) at 0.30% operates in the bottom quartile.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

0.30%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
BA
0.30%
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%
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Boeing (BA) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Boeing (BA) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBAFAST
ROE (TTM)--35.26%
ROA (TTM)-0.11%21.97%
Net Margin (TTM)8.07%15.62%
Operating Margin (TTM)0.30%21.55%
Gross Margin (TTM)9.45%44.61%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Boeing (BA) at 34.50% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Fastenal (FAST) at 8.67% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for BA.

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

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Fastenal (FAST) reports EPS growth of 9.00%, ranked against its industry; Boeing (BA) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Boeing (BA) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBAFAST
Revenue Growth (YoY)34.50%8.67%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)10.33%5.52%
EPS Growth (YoY)--9.00%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--4.87%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Fastenal (FAST) at 3.93 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Boeing (BA) at 1.13 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

1.13

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
BA
1.13
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
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Boeing (BA) 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 Boeing (BA) at 7.39 is above its industry debt-to-equity ratio range.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

7.39

BA
7.39
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
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Boeing (BA) 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 Boeing (BA) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBAFAST
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.133.93
Debt / Equity (MRQ)7.390.11
Net Debt / EBITDA13.810.12

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Boeing (BA) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Fastenal (FAST) reports a yield of 1.81%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
BA
0.00%
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%
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Boeing (BA) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Boeing (BA) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Fastenal (FAST) reports a payout of 78.05%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
BA
0.00%
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%
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Boeing (BA) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Boeing (BA) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBAFAST
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%1.81%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%78.05%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Boeing (BA) at 17.89 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.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

17.89

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
BA
17.89
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
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Boeing (BA) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Boeing (BA) at 1.45 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.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

1.45

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
BA
1.45
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
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Boeing (BA) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both Boeing (BA) at 20.99 and Fastenal (FAST) at 14.65 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

20.99

BA
20.99
Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
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
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Boeing (BA) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Boeing (BA) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBAFAST
P/E Ratio (TTM)17.8943.08
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.456.70
P/B Ratio (MRQ)20.9914.65
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.44%1.51%