FAST vs. WWD: Fastenal vs. Woodward Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Fastenal (FAST) and Woodward (WWD)
Profile Item	FAST	WWD
Name	Fastenal Co.	Woodward, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Aerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Aerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization	60.80 billion USD	18.74 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	August 20, 1987	April 4, 1994
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FAST

WWD

GSPC

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Woodward (WWD), 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 Woodward (WWD). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Woodward (WWD)
Metric	FAST	WWD
Total Return (1Y)	36.82%	25.66%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	25.71%	36.83%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	15.98%	23.54%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FAST

WWD

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Woodward (WWD)
Metric	FAST	WWD
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	24.55%	40.29%
Beta (5Y)	0.64	0.87
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-30.71%	-37.25%
Avg. Volume (3M)	7.21M	665.85K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FAST and WWD 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 Woodward (WWD)
Metric	FAST	WWD
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.33	0.53
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.00	0.85

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 35.26% and Woodward (WWD) at 22.34% 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%

WWD

Capital Goods industry group

22.34%

Max: 40.55%
WWD: 22.34%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Woodward (WWD): 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 Woodward (WWD) at 13.17% 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%

WWD

Capital Goods industry group

13.17%

Max: 27.47%
WWD: 13.17%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Woodward (WWD): 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 Woodward (WWD) at 17.76%, 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%

WWD

Capital Goods industry group

17.76%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
WWD: 17.76%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Woodward (WWD)
Metric	FAST	WWD
ROE (TTM)	35.26%	22.34%
ROA (TTM)	21.97%	8.62%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.62%	13.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.55%	17.76%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.61%	29.63%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 8.67% and Woodward (WWD) at 7.30% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Fastenal (FAST) at 9.00% and Woodward (WWD) at 19.63% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Woodward (WWD)
Metric	FAST	WWD
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.67%	7.30%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.52%	14.40%
EPS Growth (YoY)	9.00%	19.63%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.87%	38.44%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Woodward (WWD) at 1.65 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

WWD

Capital Goods industry group

1.65

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
WWD: 1.65
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Woodward (WWD): 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 Woodward (WWD) at 0.56 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

WWD

Capital Goods industry group

0.56

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
WWD: 0.56
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Woodward (WWD): 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 Woodward (WWD)
Metric	FAST	WWD
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.93	1.65
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.11	0.56
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.12	1.13

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Fastenal (FAST) at 1.81% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Woodward (WWD) at 0.32% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, FAST the richer one.

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%

WWD

Capital Goods industry group

0.32%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
WWD: 0.32%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Woodward (WWD) at 13.35% keeps its payout in the industry’s typical band, while Fastenal (FAST) at 78.05% pays out more than any of its peers — the most stretched cover 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%

WWD

Capital Goods industry group

13.35%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
WWD: 13.35%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Woodward (WWD)
Metric	FAST	WWD
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.81%	0.32%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	78.05%	13.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Woodward (WWD) at 35.30 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

WWD

Capital Goods industry group

35.30

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
WWD: 35.30
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Fastenal (FAST) vs. Woodward (WWD): 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 Woodward (WWD) at 4.47 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

WWD

Capital Goods industry group

4.47

Max: 7.54
WWD: 4.47
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Woodward (WWD) at 7.60 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

WWD

Capital Goods industry group

7.60

Max: 9.66
WWD: 7.60
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Fastenal (FAST) and Woodward (WWD)
Metric	FAST	WWD
P/E Ratio (TTM)	43.08	35.30
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.70	4.47
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	14.65	7.60
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.51%	1.00%