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BE vs. FAST: Bloom Energy vs. Fastenal Stock Comparison

How do Bloom Energy (BE) 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

Bloom Energy (BE) and Fastenal (FAST) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but BE is classified in Electrical Equipment while FAST is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Company profile comparison for Bloom Energy (BE) and Fastenal (FAST)
Profile ItemBEFAST
NameBloom Energy Corp. Class A Common StockFastenal Co.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryElectrical EquipmentTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryHeavy Electrical EquipmentTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization51.20 billion USD60.80 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateJuly 25, 2018August 20, 1987
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BE
FAST
GSPC
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Bloom Energy (BE) 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 Bloom Energy (BE) and Fastenal (FAST). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Bloom Energy (BE) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBEFAST
Total Return (1Y)46.07%36.82%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)162.89%25.71%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)41.93%15.98%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BE
FAST
GSPC
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Bloom Energy (BE) 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 Bloom Energy (BE) and Fastenal (FAST). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Bloom Energy (BE) has a highly aggressive beta of 3.61, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Fastenal (FAST) is defensive at 0.64 and tends to be less market-sensitive — a wide gap in beta profiles.

Risk profile metrics for Bloom Energy (BE) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBEFAST
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)112.64%24.55%
Beta (5Y)3.610.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)-74.98%-30.71%
Avg. Volume (3M)15.48M7.21M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BE 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 Bloom Energy (BE) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBEFAST
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.371.33
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.572.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Bloom Energy (BE) at 39.61% and Fastenal (FAST) at 35.26% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

BE

Capital Goods industry group

39.61%

Max
40.55%
BE
39.61%
Q3
19.29%
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%
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Bloom Energy (BE) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Bloom Energy (BE) at 13.53% and Fastenal (FAST) at 15.62% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

BE

Capital Goods industry group

13.53%

Max
27.47%
BE
13.53%
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%
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Bloom Energy (BE) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Bloom Energy (BE) at 18.49% and Fastenal (FAST) at 21.55% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

BE

Capital Goods industry group

18.49%

Max
36.60%
BE
18.49%
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%
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Bloom Energy (BE) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Bloom Energy (BE) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBEFAST
ROE (TTM)39.61%35.26%
ROA (TTM)7.45%21.97%
Net Margin (TTM)13.53%15.62%
Operating Margin (TTM)18.49%21.55%
Gross Margin (TTM)31.77%44.61%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Bloom Energy (BE) at 37.33% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Fastenal (FAST) at 8.67% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for BE.

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Bloom Energy (BE) 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; Bloom Energy (BE) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Bloom Energy (BE) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Bloom Energy (BE) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBEFAST
Revenue Growth (YoY)37.33%8.67%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)19.06%5.52%
EPS Growth (YoY)--9.00%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--4.87%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Bloom Energy (BE) at 3.74 and Fastenal (FAST) at 3.93 post current ratio above their industries’ typical mid-ranges — short-term liquidity appears comfortable, though unusually high readings can point to idle current assets.

BE

Capital Goods industry group

3.74

Max
5.22
BE
3.74
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
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
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Bloom Energy (BE) 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 Bloom Energy (BE) at 1.42 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

BE

Capital Goods industry group

1.42

Max
2.33
BE
1.42
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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Bloom Energy (BE) 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 Bloom Energy (BE) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBEFAST
Current Ratio (MRQ)3.743.93
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.420.11
Net Debt / EBITDA0.500.12

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Bloom Energy (BE) 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.

BE

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Bloom Energy (BE) 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.

BE

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Bloom Energy (BE) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBEFAST
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%1.81%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%78.05%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on trailing earnings: Fastenal (FAST) at 43.08 sits in the richer P/E ratio quartile, and Bloom Energy (BE) at 104.99 is richer still, above its industry range.

BE

Capital Goods industry group

104.99

BE
104.99
Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
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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Bloom Energy (BE) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Fastenal (FAST) at 6.70 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Bloom Energy (BE) at 13.37 prices even higher, above its industry range.

BE

Capital Goods industry group

13.37

BE
13.37
Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
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
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Bloom Energy (BE) 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 Bloom Energy (BE) at 26.49 and Fastenal (FAST) at 14.65 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

BE

Capital Goods industry group

26.49

BE
26.49
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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Bloom Energy (BE) vs. Fastenal (FAST): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Bloom Energy (BE) and Fastenal (FAST)
MetricBEFAST
P/E Ratio (TTM)104.9943.08
P/S Ratio (TTM)13.376.70
P/B Ratio (MRQ)26.4914.65
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-0.00%1.51%