FAST vs. GE: Fastenal vs. GE Aerospace Stock Comparison

June 28, 2026

How do Fastenal (FAST) and GE Aerospace (GE) 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 GE Aerospace (GE) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but FAST is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while GE is classified in Industrial Conglomerates.

Company profile comparison for Fastenal (FAST) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Profile Item	FAST	GE
Name	Fastenal Co.	General Electric Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Industrial Conglomerates
GICS Sub-Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Industrial Conglomerates
Market Capitalization	54.07 billion USD	385.54 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	August 20, 1987	January 2, 1962
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FAST

Fastenal (FAST) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): 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 GE Aerospace (GE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FAST	GE
Total Return (1Y)	16.43%	47.79%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FAST

Fastenal (FAST) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FAST	GE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.12%	31.70%
Beta (5Y)	0.71	1.33
Avg. Volume (3M)	7.16M	5.85M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FAST and GE 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.

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 33.84% and GE Aerospace (GE) at 45.43% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

33.84%

Max: 45.43%
FAST: 33.84%
Q3: 20.07%
Median: 11.35%
Q1: 3.04%
Min: -19.79%

GE

Capital Goods industry group

45.43%

GE: 45.43%
Max: 45.43%
Q3: 20.07%
Median: 11.35%
Q1: 3.04%
Min: -19.79%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Fastenal (FAST) at 15.39% and GE Aerospace (GE) at 17.86% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

15.39%

Max: 24.69%
FAST: 15.39%
Q3: 11.56%
Median: 5.93%
Q1: 0.85%
Min: -13.94%

GE

Capital Goods industry group

17.86%

Max: 24.69%
GE: 17.86%
Q3: 11.56%
Median: 5.93%
Q1: 0.85%
Min: -13.94%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 20.33% and GE Aerospace (GE) at 20.21% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

20.33%

Max: 29.84%
FAST: 20.33%
Q3: 15.92%
Median: 8.27%
Q1: 1.86%
Min: -17.50%

GE

Capital Goods industry group

20.21%

Max: 29.84%
GE: 20.21%
Q3: 15.92%
Median: 8.27%
Q1: 1.86%
Min: -17.50%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FAST	GE
ROE (TTM)	33.84%	45.43%
ROA (TTM)	21.20%	4.85%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.39%	17.86%
Operating Margin (TTM)	20.33%	20.21%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.89%	31.15%

Growth

Revenue Growth

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

Revenue Growth Metrics

Revenue growth metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FAST	GE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.67%	18.48%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.52%	16.32%

EPS Growth

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

EPS Growth Metrics

EPS growth metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FAST	GE
EPS Growth (YoY)	9.00%	35.89%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.87%	446.03%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Fastenal (FAST) at 4.39 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 1.01 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

4.39

Max: 5.24
FAST: 4.39
Q3: 2.97
Median: 2.11
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.71

GE

Capital Goods industry group

1.01

Max: 5.24
Q3: 2.97
Median: 2.11
Q1: 1.45
GE: 1.01
Min: 0.71

Fastenal (FAST) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): 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 GE Aerospace (GE) at 1.17 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

0.11

Max: 2.29
Q3: 1.08
Median: 0.62
Q1: 0.28
FAST: 0.11
Min: 0.00

GE

Capital Goods industry group

1.17

Max: 2.29
GE: 1.17
Q3: 1.08
Median: 0.62
Q1: 0.28
Min: 0.00

Fastenal (FAST) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): 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 GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FAST	GE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	4.39	1.01
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.11	1.17
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.07	0.97

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Fastenal (FAST) at 1.92% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 0.42% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, FAST the richer one.

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

1.92%

Max: 2.34%
FAST: 1.92%
Q3: 1.00%
Median: 0.15%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

GE

Capital Goods industry group

0.42%

Max: 2.34%
Q3: 1.00%
GE: 0.42%
Median: 0.15%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

GE Aerospace (GE) at 19.25% keeps its payout in the industry’s typical band, while Fastenal (FAST) at 79.65% pays out more than any of its peers — the most stretched cover in its group.

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

79.65%

FAST: 79.65%
Max: 72.02%
Q3: 29.56%
Median: 6.41%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

GE

Capital Goods industry group

19.25%

Max: 72.02%
Q3: 29.56%
GE: 19.25%
Median: 6.41%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FAST	GE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.92%	0.42%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	79.65%	19.25%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 41.68 and GE Aerospace (GE) at 45.90 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

41.68

Max: 89.28
Q3: 51.81
FAST: 41.68
Median: 33.98
Q1: 23.50
Min: 6.12

GE

Capital Goods industry group

45.90

Max: 89.28
Q3: 51.81
GE: 45.90
Median: 33.98
Q1: 23.50
Min: 6.12

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 6.40 and GE Aerospace (GE) at 7.98 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

6.40

Max: 9.89
FAST: 6.40
Q3: 4.89
Median: 2.76
Q1: 1.29
Min: 0.04

GE

Capital Goods industry group

7.98

Max: 9.89
GE: 7.98
Q3: 4.89
Median: 2.76
Q1: 1.29
Min: 0.04

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Fastenal (FAST) at 13.55 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and GE Aerospace (GE) at 21.32 prices even higher, above its industry range.

FAST

Capital Goods industry group

13.55

FAST: 13.55
Max: 13.55
Q3: 6.81
Median: 3.86
Q1: 2.14
Min: -2.32

GE

Capital Goods industry group

21.32

GE: 21.32
Max: 13.55
Q3: 6.81
Median: 3.86
Q1: 2.14
Min: -2.32

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FAST	GE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	41.68	45.90
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.40	7.98
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	13.55	21.32
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.67%	1.47%