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FAST vs. RBC: Fastenal vs. RBC Bearings Stock Comparison

How do Fastenal (FAST) and RBC Bearings (RBC) 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 RBC Bearings (RBC) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but FAST is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while RBC is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for Fastenal (FAST) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Profile ItemFASTRBC
NameFastenal Co.RBC Bearings Incorporated
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsMachinery
GICS Sub-IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization60.80 billion USD15.02 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateAugust 20, 1987August 10, 2005
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FAST
RBC
GSPC
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC), 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 RBC Bearings (RBC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricFASTRBC
Total Return (1Y)36.82%13.77%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)25.71%30.63%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)15.98%15.68%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

RBC Bearings (RBC) has an aggressive beta of 1.34, 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 RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricFASTRBC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.55%29.69%
Beta (5Y)0.641.34
Max Drawdown (5Y)-30.71%-34.92%
Avg. Volume (3M)7.21M309.06K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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FAST and RBC 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 RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricFASTRBC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.330.32
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.000.45

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Fastenal (FAST) at 35.26% sits in the top ROE quartile, while RBC Bearings (RBC) at 10.51% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for FAST.

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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

10.51%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
RBC
10.51%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): 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 RBC Bearings (RBC) at 17.51% 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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

17.51%

Max
27.47%
RBC
17.51%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 21.55% and RBC Bearings (RBC) at 24.97% 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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

24.97%

Max
36.60%
RBC
24.97%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricFASTRBC
ROE (TTM)35.26%10.51%
ROA (TTM)21.97%6.06%
Net Margin (TTM)15.62%17.51%
Operating Margin (TTM)21.55%24.97%
Gross Margin (TTM)44.61%45.61%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 8.67% and RBC Bearings (RBC) at 14.34% 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. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 9.00% and RBC Bearings (RBC) at 18.05% 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. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricFASTRBC
Revenue Growth (YoY)8.67%14.34%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.52%8.39%
EPS Growth (YoY)9.00%18.05%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)4.87%22.54%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 3.93 and RBC Bearings (RBC) at 3.13 post current ratio above their industries’ typical mid-ranges — short-term liquidity appears comfortable, though unusually high readings can point to idle current assets.

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

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

3.13

Max
5.22
RBC
3.13
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 0.11 and RBC Bearings (RBC) at 0.22 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

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

0.22

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
RBC
0.22
Min
0.00
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): 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 RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricFASTRBC
Current Ratio (MRQ)3.933.13
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.110.22
Net Debt / EBITDA0.121.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

RBC Bearings (RBC) 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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
RBC
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

RBC Bearings (RBC) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Fastenal (FAST) reports a payout of 78.05%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricFASTRBC
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.81%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)78.05%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 43.08 and RBC Bearings (RBC) at 42.44 sit in the richer earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, so investors are paying more for TTM earnings than they pay for typical peers.

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

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

42.44

Max
59.38
RBC
42.44
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 6.70 and RBC Bearings (RBC) at 7.42 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

6.70

Max
7.54
FAST
6.70
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

7.42

Max
7.54
RBC
7.42
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

RBC Bearings (RBC) at 4.21 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Fastenal (FAST) at 14.65 prices above its benchmark range — FAST looks rich relative to book.

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

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

4.21

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
RBC
4.21
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
MetricFASTRBC
P/E Ratio (TTM)43.0842.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)6.707.42
P/B Ratio (MRQ)14.654.21
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.51%2.22%