Fastenal Company (FAST) vs Ferguson plc (FERG)
Fastenal Company and Ferguson plc are both Industrial Distribution companies. Fastenal Company is the larger, with a market value of $58.1B against $42.6B — 1.4× the size. Fastenal Company trades at the lower P/E: 42.7× against 50.7×. Fastenal Company grew revenue faster over the last twelve months: 12.5% against 9.38%. Fastenal Company has the higher net margin (15.5% vs 7.15%) and the higher return on invested capital (27.9% vs 18.8%). Both pay a dividend; Fastenal Company yields more (2.22% vs 1.54%). Across the 23 metrics below, Fastenal Company leads on 19 and Ferguson plc on 4.
Valuation
Profitability
| Metric | FAST | FERG | Industrial Distribution median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 44.70% | 31.10% | 30.34% |
| Operating margin | 20.29% | 9.73% | 8.06% |
| Net margin | 15.45% | 7.15% | 4.95% |
| Free cash flow margin | 13.36% | 3.85% | 4.67% |
| Return on equity | 34.33% | 40.09% | 14.29% |
| Return on assets | 26.23% | 12.69% | 5.30% |
| Return on invested capital | 27.85% | 18.75% | 8.13% |
Growth
Health
Dividend
Size
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