ETN vs. FAST: Eaton vs. Fastenal Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Eaton (ETN) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Eaton (ETN) and Fastenal (FAST)
Profile Item	ETN	FAST
Name	Eaton Corporation plc	Fastenal Co.
Country/Region	Ireland	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Electrical Equipment	Trading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-Industry	Electrical Components & Equipment	Trading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization	132.76 billion USD	60.80 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	June 1, 1972	August 20, 1987
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ETN

FAST

GSPC

Eaton (ETN) 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 Eaton (ETN) and Fastenal (FAST). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	ETN	FAST
Total Return (1Y)	-2.33%	36.82%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	19.68%	25.71%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	17.50%	15.98%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ETN

FAST

GSPC

Eaton (ETN) 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 Eaton (ETN) and Fastenal (FAST). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	ETN	FAST
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	43.57%	24.55%
Beta (5Y)	1.14	0.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-34.46%	-30.71%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.32M	7.21M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ETN 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 Eaton (ETN) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	ETN	FAST
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.15	1.33
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.21	2.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Eaton (ETN) at 19.55% 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.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

19.55%

Max: 40.55%
ETN: 19.55%
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%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Eaton (ETN) at 12.18% and Fastenal (FAST) at 15.62% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

12.18%

Max: 27.47%
ETN: 12.18%
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%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Fastenal (FAST) at 21.55% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Eaton (ETN) at 17.85%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

17.85%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
ETN: 17.85%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	ETN	FAST
ROE (TTM)	19.55%	35.26%
ROA (TTM)	7.22%	21.97%
Net Margin (TTM)	12.18%	15.62%
Operating Margin (TTM)	17.85%	21.55%
Gross Margin (TTM)	35.16%	44.61%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Eaton (ETN) at 10.33% 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.

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

EPS Growth

Both Eaton (ETN) at 10.00% and Fastenal (FAST) at 9.00% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	ETN	FAST
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.33%	8.67%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	9.77%	5.52%
EPS Growth (YoY)	10.00%	9.00%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	19.39%	4.87%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Fastenal (FAST) at 3.93 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Eaton (ETN) at 1.23 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.23

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
ETN: 1.23
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

Eaton (ETN) 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 industry quartile, while Eaton (ETN) at 1.00 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.00

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
ETN: 1.00
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

Eaton (ETN) 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 Eaton (ETN) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	ETN	FAST
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.23	3.93
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.00	0.11
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.85	0.12

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Eaton (ETN) at 1.33% and Fastenal (FAST) at 1.81% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.33%

Max: 2.66%
ETN: 1.33%
Q3: 1.14%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both pay out more than their industries’ typical bands, and FAST more so: Eaton (ETN) at 43.36% sits above the band, while Fastenal (FAST) at 78.05% exceeds every peer in its group.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

43.36%

Max: 67.39%
ETN: 43.36%
Q3: 28.02%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	ETN	FAST
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.33%	1.81%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	43.36%	78.05%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Eaton (ETN) at 34.14 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Fastenal (FAST) at 43.08 sits in the richer quartile — FAST needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

34.14

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
ETN: 34.14
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Eaton (ETN) at 4.15 and Fastenal (FAST) at 6.70 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

4.15

Max: 7.54
ETN: 4.15
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Eaton (ETN) at 6.33 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Fastenal (FAST) at 14.65 prices even higher, above its industry range.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

6.33

Max: 9.66
ETN: 6.33
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Fastenal (FAST)
Metric	ETN	FAST
P/E Ratio (TTM)	34.14	43.08
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.15	6.70
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	6.33	14.65
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.29%	1.51%