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FAST vs. WSO.B: Fastenal vs. Watsco Stock Comparison

How do Fastenal (FAST) and Watsco (WSO.B) 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 Watsco (WSO.B) are both classified in the Trading Companies & Distributors sub-industry within the broader Trading Companies & Distributors industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Fastenal (FAST) and Watsco (WSO.B)
Profile ItemFASTWSO.B
NameFastenal Co.Watsco Inc. Class B Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization60.80 billion USD12.92 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateAugust 20, 1987March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FAST
WSO.B
GSPC
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Watsco (WSO.B), 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 Watsco (WSO.B). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFASTWSO.B
Total Return (1Y)36.82%-11.21%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)25.71%-3.05%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)15.98%4.30%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Fastenal (FAST) trades around 7.21M shares per day on average, while Watsco (WSO.B) sees only 74 — a volume gap that can matter for position sizing, exit liquidity, and order execution.

Risk profile metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFASTWSO.B
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.55%40.28%
Beta (5Y)0.640.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)-30.71%-43.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)7.21M74

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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FAST and WSO.B 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 Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFASTWSO.B
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.33-0.38
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.00-0.57

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Fastenal (FAST) at 35.26% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Watsco (WSO.B) at 16.21% 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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

16.21%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
WSO.B
16.21%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): 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 Watsco (WSO.B) at 6.31%, 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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

6.31%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
WSO.B
6.31%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): 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 Watsco (WSO.B) at 10.14%, 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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

10.14%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
WSO.B
10.14%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFASTWSO.B
ROE (TTM)35.26%16.21%
ROA (TTM)21.97%8.27%
Net Margin (TTM)15.62%6.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)21.55%10.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)44.61%27.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Fastenal (FAST) at 8.67% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Watsco (WSO.B) at -4.98% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 9.00% and Watsco (WSO.B) at -7.47% 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. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFASTWSO.B
Revenue Growth (YoY)8.67%-4.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.52%-0.16%
EPS Growth (YoY)9.00%-7.47%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)4.87%-6.89%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 3.93 and Watsco (WSO.B) at 3.15 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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

3.15

Max
5.22
WSO.B
3.15
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 0.11 and Watsco (WSO.B) at 0.16 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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

0.16

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
WSO.B
0.16
Min
0.00
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): 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 Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFASTWSO.B
Current Ratio (MRQ)3.933.15
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.110.16
Net Debt / EBITDA0.12-0.14

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Fastenal (FAST) at 1.81% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; Watsco (WSO.B) at 4.02% is past the top of its own peer range — territory where a dividend-safety check matters more than the headline number.

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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

4.02%

WSO.B
4.02%
Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Watsco (WSO.B) reports payout ratio above 100% at 109.66%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Fastenal (FAST) reports 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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

109.66%

WSO.B
109.66%
Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFASTWSO.B
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.81%4.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)78.05%109.66%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 27.26 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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

27.26

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
WSO.B
27.26
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 1.74 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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

1.74

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
WSO.B
1.74
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 3.99 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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

3.99

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
WSO.B
3.99
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Fastenal (FAST) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFASTWSO.B
P/E Ratio (TTM)43.0827.26
P/S Ratio (TTM)6.701.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)14.653.99
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.51%3.50%