FAST vs. FIX: Fastenal vs. Comfort Systems USA Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Fastenal (FAST) and Comfort Systems USA (FIX) 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 Comfort Systems USA (FIX) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but FAST is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while FIX is classified in Construction & Engineering.

Company profile comparison for Fastenal (FAST) and Comfort Systems USA (FIX)
Profile Item	FAST	FIX
Name	Fastenal Co.	Comfort Systems USA Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Construction & Engineering
GICS Sub-Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Construction & Engineering
Market Capitalization	60.80 billion USD	35.81 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	August 20, 1987	June 27, 1997
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FAST

FIX

GSPC

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Comfort Systems USA (FIX), 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 Fastenal (FAST) and Comfort Systems USA (FIX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Fastenal (FAST) and Comfort Systems USA (FIX). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Comfort Systems USA (FIX)
Metric	FAST	FIX
Total Return (1Y)	36.82%	15.31%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	25.71%	81.62%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	15.98%	62.48%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FAST

FIX

GSPC

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Comfort Systems USA (FIX), 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 Fastenal (FAST) and Comfort Systems USA (FIX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Comfort Systems USA (FIX) has an aggressive beta of 1.68, 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 Fastenal (FAST) and Comfort Systems USA (FIX)
Metric	FAST	FIX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	24.55%	60.97%
Beta (5Y)	0.64	1.68
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-30.71%	-53.28%
Avg. Volume (3M)	7.21M	471.64K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FAST and FIX 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 Comfort Systems USA (FIX)
Metric	FAST	FIX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.33	0.18
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.00	0.25

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Comfort Systems USA (FIX) at 58.61% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Fastenal (FAST) at 35.26% also sits in the top quartile.

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%

FIX

Capital Goods industry group

58.61%

FIX: 58.61%
Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Comfort Systems USA (FIX): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Fastenal (FAST) at 15.62% and Comfort Systems USA (FIX) at 13.01% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

FIX

Capital Goods industry group

13.01%

Max: 27.47%
FIX: 13.01%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Comfort Systems USA (FIX): 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 Comfort Systems USA (FIX) at 16.47%, 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%

FIX

Capital Goods industry group

16.47%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
FIX: 16.47%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Comfort Systems USA (FIX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Comfort Systems USA (FIX)
Metric	FAST	FIX
ROE (TTM)	35.26%	58.61%
ROA (TTM)	21.97%	16.88%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.62%	13.01%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.55%	16.47%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.61%	25.70%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Comfort Systems USA (FIX) at 29.52% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Fastenal (FAST) at 8.67% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for FIX.

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Comfort Systems USA (FIX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Comfort Systems USA (FIX) at 97.81% 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 FIX.

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Comfort Systems USA (FIX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Comfort Systems USA (FIX)
Metric	FAST	FIX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.67%	29.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.52%	30.03%
EPS Growth (YoY)	9.00%	97.81%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.87%	61.78%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Fastenal (FAST) at 3.93 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Comfort Systems USA (FIX) at 1.15 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

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

FIX

Capital Goods industry group

1.15

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
FIX: 1.15
Min: 0.36

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Comfort Systems USA (FIX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 0.11 and Comfort Systems USA (FIX) at 0.11 keep leverage in the lower quartile of their industries, with less balance-sheet debt relative to equity than most peers.

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

FIX

Capital Goods industry group

0.11

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

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Comfort Systems USA (FIX): 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 Comfort Systems USA (FIX)
Metric	FAST	FIX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.93	1.15
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.11	0.11
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.12	-0.81

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Fastenal (FAST) at 1.81% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Comfort Systems USA (FIX) at 0.31% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, FAST the richer one.

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%

FIX

Capital Goods industry group

0.31%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
FIX: 0.31%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Comfort Systems USA (FIX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Comfort Systems USA (FIX) at 6.48% 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.

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%

FIX

Capital Goods industry group

6.48%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
FIX: 6.48%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Comfort Systems USA (FIX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Comfort Systems USA (FIX)
Metric	FAST	FIX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.81%	0.31%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	78.05%	6.48%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Comfort Systems USA (FIX) at 21.98 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

FIX

Capital Goods industry group

21.98

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
FIX: 21.98
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Comfort Systems USA (FIX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Comfort Systems USA (FIX) at 2.85 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

FIX

Capital Goods industry group

2.85

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
FIX: 2.85
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Comfort Systems USA (FIX): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both Fastenal (FAST) at 14.65 and Comfort Systems USA (FIX) at 10.66 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark 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

FIX

Capital Goods industry group

10.66

FIX: 10.66
Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Comfort Systems USA (FIX): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Comfort Systems USA (FIX)
Metric	FAST	FIX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	43.08	21.98
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.70	2.85
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	14.65	10.66
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.51%	5.94%