Fastenal Company (FAST) vs W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW)

Fastenal Company and W.W. Grainger, Inc. are both Industrial Distribution companies. Fastenal Company and W.W. Grainger, Inc. are of similar size ($60.1B and $58.1B). W.W. Grainger, Inc. trades at the lower P/E: 31.7× against 42.7×. Fastenal Company grew revenue faster over the last twelve months: 12.5% against 7.80%. Fastenal Company has the higher net margin (15.5% vs 9.92%) and the higher return on invested capital (27.9% vs 27.1%). Both pay a dividend; Fastenal Company yields more (2.22% vs 0.83%). Across the 23 metrics below, Fastenal Company leads on 12 and W.W. Grainger, Inc. on 11.