FAST vs. FERG: Fastenal vs. Ferguson Enterprises Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Fastenal (FAST) and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 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

Fastenal (FAST) and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 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 Fastenal (FAST) and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG)
Profile Item	FAST	FERG
Name	Fastenal Co.	Ferguson Enterprises Inc.
Country/Region	United States	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	60.80 billion USD	45.21 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	August 20, 1987	January 5, 2010
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FAST

FERG

GSPC

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Ferguson Enterprises (FERG), 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 Fastenal (FAST) and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG)
Metric	FAST	FERG
Total Return (1Y)	36.82%	6.92%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	25.71%	20.73%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	15.98%	13.21%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FAST

FERG

GSPC

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Ferguson Enterprises (FERG), 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 Fastenal (FAST) and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG)
Metric	FAST	FERG
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	24.55%	32.85%
Beta (5Y)	0.64	1.08
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-30.71%	-43.31%
Avg. Volume (3M)	7.21M	1.46M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FAST and FERG 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 Fastenal (FAST) and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG)
Metric	FAST	FERG
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.33	0.08
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.00	0.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

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

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%

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

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

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Ferguson Enterprises (FERG): FERG 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 Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 6.32%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

6.32%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
FERG: 6.32%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Ferguson Enterprises (FERG): 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 Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 10.16%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

10.16%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
FERG: 10.16%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG)
Metric	FAST	FERG
ROE (TTM)	35.26%	--
ROA (TTM)	21.97%	--
Net Margin (TTM)	15.62%	6.32%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.55%	10.16%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.61%	30.63%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Fastenal (FAST) reports revenue growth of 8.67%, ranked against its industry; Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) has no revenue growth figure this period.

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Ferguson Enterprises (FERG): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 9.00% and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 19.11% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Ferguson Enterprises (FERG): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG)
Metric	FAST	FERG
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.67%	--
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.52%	--
EPS Growth (YoY)	9.00%	19.11%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.87%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 1.73 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.

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

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

1.73

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
FERG: 1.73
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Ferguson Enterprises (FERG): 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 Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 1.11 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

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

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

1.11

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
FERG: 1.11
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG)
Metric	FAST	FERG
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.93	1.73
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.11	1.11
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.12	2.10

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 1.81% and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 1.80% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

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%

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

1.80%

Max: 2.66%
FERG: 1.80%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Ferguson Enterprises (FERG): 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: Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 33.57% sits above the band, while Fastenal (FAST) at 78.05% exceeds every peer in its group.

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%

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

33.57%

Max: 67.39%
FERG: 33.57%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG)
Metric	FAST	FERG
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.81%	1.80%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	78.05%	33.57%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 23.00 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.

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

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

23.00

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
FERG: 23.00
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 1.44 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.

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

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

1.44

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
FERG: 1.44
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 7.29 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Fastenal (FAST) at 14.65 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

7.29

Max: 9.66
FERG: 7.29
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Ferguson Enterprises (FERG)
Metric	FAST	FERG
P/E Ratio (TTM)	43.08	23.00
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.70	1.44
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	14.65	7.29
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.51%	--