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FAST vs. HUBB: Fastenal vs. Hubbell Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for Fastenal (FAST) and Hubbell (HUBB)
Profile ItemFASTHUBB
NameFastenal Co.Hubbell Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsElectrical Equipment
GICS Sub-IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsElectrical Components & Equipment
Market Capitalization60.80 billion USD22.69 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateAugust 20, 1987June 5, 1972
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FAST
HUBB
GSPC
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Hubbell (HUBB), 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 Hubbell (HUBB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Hubbell (HUBB)
MetricFASTHUBB
Total Return (1Y)36.82%-2.60%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)25.71%17.51%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)15.98%18.15%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FAST
HUBB
GSPC
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Hubbell (HUBB), 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 Hubbell (HUBB). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Hubbell (HUBB)
MetricFASTHUBB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.55%32.90%
Beta (5Y)0.640.82
Max Drawdown (5Y)-30.71%-32.65%
Avg. Volume (3M)7.21M557.78K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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FAST and HUBB 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 Hubbell (HUBB)
MetricFASTHUBB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.33-0.21
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.00-0.28

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 35.26% and Hubbell (HUBB) at 23.43% 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

35.26%

Max
40.55%
FAST
35.26%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%

HUBB

Capital Goods industry group

23.43%

Max
40.55%
HUBB
23.43%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Hubbell (HUBB): 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 Hubbell (HUBB) at 13.78% 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%

HUBB

Capital Goods industry group

13.78%

Max
27.47%
HUBB
13.78%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Hubbell (HUBB): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 21.55% and Hubbell (HUBB) at 20.52% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

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%

HUBB

Capital Goods industry group

20.52%

Max
36.60%
HUBB
20.52%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Hubbell (HUBB): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Hubbell (HUBB)
MetricFASTHUBB
ROE (TTM)35.26%23.43%
ROA (TTM)21.97%8.53%
Net Margin (TTM)15.62%13.78%
Operating Margin (TTM)21.55%20.52%
Gross Margin (TTM)44.61%35.02%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 8.67% and Hubbell (HUBB) at 3.84% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 9.00% and Hubbell (HUBB) at 15.10% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Hubbell (HUBB)
MetricFASTHUBB
Revenue Growth (YoY)8.67%3.84%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.52%5.71%
EPS Growth (YoY)9.00%15.10%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)4.87%20.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Hubbell (HUBB) at 1.53 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

HUBB

Capital Goods industry group

1.53

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
HUBB
1.53
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Hubbell (HUBB): 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 Hubbell (HUBB) at 1.29 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

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

HUBB

Capital Goods industry group

1.29

Max
2.33
HUBB
1.29
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Hubbell (HUBB): 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 Hubbell (HUBB)
MetricFASTHUBB
Current Ratio (MRQ)3.931.53
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.111.29
Net Debt / EBITDA0.123.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 1.81% and Hubbell (HUBB) at 1.36% 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%

HUBB

Capital Goods industry group

1.36%

Max
2.66%
HUBB
1.36%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Hubbell (HUBB): 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: Hubbell (HUBB) at 33.31% 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%

HUBB

Capital Goods industry group

33.31%

Max
67.39%
HUBB
33.31%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Hubbell (HUBB): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Hubbell (HUBB)
MetricFASTHUBB
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.81%1.36%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)78.05%33.31%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Hubbell (HUBB) at 25.19 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

HUBB

Capital Goods industry group

25.19

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
HUBB
25.19
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Hubbell (HUBB): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Hubbell (HUBB) at 3.44 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

HUBB

Capital Goods industry group

3.44

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
HUBB
3.44
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Hubbell (HUBB): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Hubbell (HUBB) at 5.53 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

HUBB

Capital Goods industry group

5.53

Max
9.66
HUBB
5.53
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Hubbell (HUBB): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Hubbell (HUBB)
MetricFASTHUBB
P/E Ratio (TTM)43.0825.19
P/S Ratio (TTM)6.703.44
P/B Ratio (MRQ)14.655.53
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.51%2.44%