FAST vs. JCI: Fastenal vs. Johnson Controls Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Fastenal (FAST) and Johnson Controls (JCI) 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 Johnson Controls (JCI) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but FAST is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while JCI is classified in Building Products.

Company profile comparison for Fastenal (FAST) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Profile Item	FAST	JCI
Name	Fastenal Co.	Johnson Controls International plc
Country/Region	United States	Ireland
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Building Products
GICS Sub-Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Building Products
Market Capitalization	60.80 billion USD	81.79 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	August 20, 1987	September 28, 1987
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FAST

JCI

GSPC

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI), 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 Johnson Controls (JCI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	FAST	JCI
Total Return (1Y)	36.82%	17.11%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	25.71%	43.46%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	15.98%	15.29%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FAST

JCI

GSPC

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI), 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 Johnson Controls (JCI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	FAST	JCI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	24.55%	32.91%
Beta (5Y)	0.64	1.29
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-30.71%	-42.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)	7.21M	3.57M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FAST and JCI 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 Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	FAST	JCI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.33	0.39
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.00	0.54

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 35.26% and Johnson Controls (JCI) at 21.73% 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%

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

21.73%

Max: 40.55%
JCI: 21.73%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Fastenal (FAST) at 15.62% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Johnson Controls (JCI) at 11.12%, 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%

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

11.12%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
JCI: 11.12%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI): 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 Johnson Controls (JCI) at 17.21%, 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%

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

17.21%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
JCI: 17.21%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	FAST	JCI
ROE (TTM)	35.26%	21.73%
ROA (TTM)	21.97%	6.41%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.62%	11.12%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.55%	17.21%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.61%	37.07%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 8.67% and Johnson Controls (JCI) at 2.81% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Johnson Controls (JCI) at 99.60% 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 JCI.

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	FAST	JCI
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.67%	2.81%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.52%	4.57%
EPS Growth (YoY)	9.00%	99.60%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.87%	31.94%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Fastenal (FAST) at 3.93 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Johnson Controls (JCI) at 0.90 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

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

0.90

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
JCI: 0.90
Min: 0.36

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI): 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 Johnson Controls (JCI) at 0.68 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

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

0.68

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
JCI: 0.68
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI): 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 Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	FAST	JCI
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.93	0.90
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.11	0.68
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.12	1.86

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Johnson Controls (JCI) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Fastenal (FAST) reports a yield of 1.81%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
JCI: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI): 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: Johnson Controls (JCI) at 45.20% 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%

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

45.20%

Max: 67.39%
JCI: 45.20%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	FAST	JCI
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.81%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	78.05%	45.20%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Johnson Controls (JCI) at 28.61 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

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

28.61

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
JCI: 28.61
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Johnson Controls (JCI) at 3.19 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

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

3.19

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
JCI: 3.19
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Johnson Controls (JCI) at 5.99 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

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

5.99

Max: 9.66
JCI: 5.99
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	FAST	JCI
P/E Ratio (TTM)	43.08	28.61
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.70	3.19
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	14.65	5.99
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.51%	3.81%