Fastenal (FAST) Competitors

$43.57 -0.43 (-0.98%)

Closing price 05/19/2026 04:00 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$43.88 +0.31 (+0.70%)

As of 05/19/2026 07:53 PM Eastern

FAST vs. NDSN, BLDR, DOV, GGG, and GWW

Should you buy Fastenal stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares Fastenal with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with Fastenal include Nordson (NDSN), Builders FirstSource (BLDR), Dover (DOV), Graco (GGG), and W.W. Grainger (GWW).

How does Fastenal compare to Nordson?

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) and Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) are related large-cap companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, media sentiment, earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, risk and valuation.

81.4% of Fastenal shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 72.1% of Nordson shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Fastenal shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of Nordson shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Fastenal has a beta of 0.75, meaning that its share price is 25% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Nordson has a beta of 0.99, meaning that its share price is 1% less volatile than the broader market.

Fastenal presently has a consensus price target of $49.77, indicating a potential upside of 14.23%. Nordson has a consensus price target of $311.50, indicating a potential upside of 14.67%. Given Nordson's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Nordson is more favorable than Fastenal.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Fastenal	2 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.23
Nordson	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Nordson has a net margin of 18.39% compared to Fastenal's net margin of 15.39%. Fastenal's return on equity of 33.25% beat Nordson's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Fastenal	15.39%	33.25%	25.49%
Nordson	18.39%	19.73%	9.97%

Fastenal pays an annual dividend of $0.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Nordson pays an annual dividend of $3.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Fastenal pays out 84.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Nordson pays out 35.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Fastenal has raised its dividend for 26 consecutive years and Nordson has raised its dividend for 62 consecutive years.

Fastenal has higher revenue and earnings than Nordson. Nordson is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Fastenal, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Fastenal	$8.20B	6.10	$1.26B	$1.14	38.22
Nordson	$2.79B	5.43	$484.47M	$9.26	29.33

In the previous week, Fastenal had 9 more articles in the media than Nordson. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Fastenal and 4 mentions for Nordson. Fastenal's average media sentiment score of 1.26 beat Nordson's score of 0.68 indicating that Fastenal is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Fastenal	11 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Nordson	2 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Summary

Fastenal beats Nordson on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Fastenal compare to Builders FirstSource?

Builders FirstSource (NYSE:BLDR) and Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, earnings, media sentiment, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk and institutional ownership.

Builders FirstSource has a beta of 1.49, meaning that its stock price is 49% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Fastenal has a beta of 0.75, meaning that its stock price is 25% less volatile than the broader market.

Fastenal has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Builders FirstSource. Builders FirstSource is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Fastenal, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Builders FirstSource	$15.19B	0.47	$435.20M	$2.61	25.44
Fastenal	$8.20B	6.10	$1.26B	$1.14	38.22

Fastenal has a net margin of 15.39% compared to Builders FirstSource's net margin of 1.97%. Fastenal's return on equity of 33.25% beat Builders FirstSource's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Builders FirstSource	1.97%	14.89%	5.52%
Fastenal	15.39%	33.25%	25.49%

Builders FirstSource presently has a consensus target price of $101.88, suggesting a potential upside of 53.46%. Fastenal has a consensus target price of $49.77, suggesting a potential upside of 14.23%. Given Builders FirstSource's higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Builders FirstSource is more favorable than Fastenal.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Builders FirstSource	4 Sell rating(s)	11 Hold rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.21
Fastenal	2 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.23

In the previous week, Builders FirstSource had 2 more articles in the media than Fastenal. MarketBeat recorded 15 mentions for Builders FirstSource and 13 mentions for Fastenal. Fastenal's average media sentiment score of 1.26 beat Builders FirstSource's score of 0.70 indicating that Fastenal is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Builders FirstSource	5 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Fastenal	11 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

95.5% of Builders FirstSource shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.4% of Fastenal shares are held by institutional investors. 2.7% of Builders FirstSource shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Fastenal shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Builders FirstSource and Fastenal tied by winning 8 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Fastenal compare to Dover?

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) and Dover (NYSE:DOV) are related large-cap companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, risk, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings and institutional ownership.

Fastenal currently has a consensus price target of $49.77, suggesting a potential upside of 14.23%. Dover has a consensus price target of $237.36, suggesting a potential upside of 14.50%. Given Dover's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Dover is more favorable than Fastenal.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Fastenal	2 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.23
Dover	0 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.60

81.4% of Fastenal shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 84.5% of Dover shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Fastenal shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of Dover shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Fastenal has a net margin of 15.39% compared to Dover's net margin of 13.30%. Fastenal's return on equity of 33.25% beat Dover's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Fastenal	15.39%	33.25%	25.49%
Dover	13.30%	18.01%	10.10%

In the previous week, Fastenal had 6 more articles in the media than Dover. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Fastenal and 7 mentions for Dover. Fastenal's average media sentiment score of 1.26 beat Dover's score of 1.03 indicating that Fastenal is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Fastenal	11 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Dover	5 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Fastenal has a beta of 0.75, suggesting that its stock price is 25% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Dover has a beta of 1.21, suggesting that its stock price is 21% more volatile than the broader market.

Fastenal pays an annual dividend of $0.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Dover pays an annual dividend of $2.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Fastenal pays out 84.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Dover pays out 25.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Fastenal has increased its dividend for 26 consecutive years and Dover has increased its dividend for 70 consecutive years.

Fastenal has higher revenue and earnings than Dover. Dover is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Fastenal, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Fastenal	$8.20B	6.10	$1.26B	$1.14	38.22
Dover	$8.09B	3.45	$1.09B	$8.02	25.85

Summary

Fastenal beats Dover on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Fastenal compare to Graco?

Graco (NYSE:GGG) and Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) are related large-cap companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, media sentiment, valuation, earnings and profitability.

93.9% of Graco shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.4% of Fastenal shares are held by institutional investors. 2.2% of Graco shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Fastenal shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Graco pays an annual dividend of $1.18 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Fastenal pays an annual dividend of $0.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Graco pays out 38.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Fastenal pays out 84.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Graco has raised its dividend for 29 consecutive years and Fastenal has raised its dividend for 26 consecutive years.

Graco currently has a consensus price target of $94.25, indicating a potential upside of 25.09%. Fastenal has a consensus price target of $49.77, indicating a potential upside of 14.23%. Given Graco's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Graco is more favorable than Fastenal.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Graco	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.43
Fastenal	2 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.23

In the previous week, Graco had 1 more articles in the media than Fastenal. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for Graco and 13 mentions for Fastenal. Fastenal's average media sentiment score of 1.26 beat Graco's score of -0.08 indicating that Fastenal is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Graco	3 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Fastenal	11 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Graco has a net margin of 22.96% compared to Fastenal's net margin of 15.39%. Fastenal's return on equity of 33.25% beat Graco's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Graco	22.96%	18.66%	15.22%
Fastenal	15.39%	33.25%	25.49%

Fastenal has higher revenue and earnings than Graco. Graco is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Fastenal, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Graco	$2.24B	5.59	$521.84M	$3.07	24.54
Fastenal	$8.20B	6.10	$1.26B	$1.14	38.22

Graco has a beta of 0.96, meaning that its share price is 4% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Fastenal has a beta of 0.75, meaning that its share price is 25% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

Graco beats Fastenal on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Fastenal compare to W.W. Grainger?

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) and Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) are both large-cap trading companies & distributors companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, media sentiment, profitability, earnings and risk.

In the previous week, W.W. Grainger had 22 more articles in the media than Fastenal. MarketBeat recorded 35 mentions for W.W. Grainger and 13 mentions for Fastenal. Fastenal's average media sentiment score of 1.26 beat W.W. Grainger's score of 0.79 indicating that Fastenal is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
W.W. Grainger	15 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Fastenal	11 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Fastenal has a net margin of 15.39% compared to W.W. Grainger's net margin of 9.70%. W.W. Grainger's return on equity of 47.87% beat Fastenal's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
W.W. Grainger	9.70%	47.87%	21.84%
Fastenal	15.39%	33.25%	25.49%

W.W. Grainger has higher revenue and earnings than Fastenal. W.W. Grainger is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Fastenal, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
W.W. Grainger	$17.94B	3.27	$1.71B	$37.18	33.47
Fastenal	$8.20B	6.10	$1.26B	$1.14	38.22

W.W. Grainger pays an annual dividend of $9.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Fastenal pays an annual dividend of $0.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. W.W. Grainger pays out 26.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Fastenal pays out 84.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. W.W. Grainger has increased its dividend for 55 consecutive years and Fastenal has increased its dividend for 26 consecutive years.

W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus price target of $1,199.13, indicating a potential downside of 3.65%. Fastenal has a consensus price target of $49.77, indicating a potential upside of 14.23%. Given Fastenal's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Fastenal is more favorable than W.W. Grainger.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
W.W. Grainger	1 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.22
Fastenal	2 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.23

W.W. Grainger has a beta of 1.04, meaning that its share price is 4% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Fastenal has a beta of 0.75, meaning that its share price is 25% less volatile than the broader market.

80.7% of W.W. Grainger shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.4% of Fastenal shares are held by institutional investors. 6.3% of W.W. Grainger shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Fastenal shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Fastenal beats W.W. Grainger on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding FAST and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.

Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NASDAQ and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.

FAST vs. The Competition

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Metric	Fastenal	BLDG PRD Industry	Retail Sector	NASDAQ Exchange
Market Cap	$50.51B	$11.92B	$27.47B	$12.23B
Dividend Yield	2.18%	2.56%	178.46%	5.32%
P/E Ratio	38.22	21.22	16.46	25.05
Price / Sales	6.10	1.46	3.94	72.66
Price / Cash	35.14	13.31	14.57	54.25
Price / Book	12.52	3.24	5.09	6.83
Net Income	$1.26B	$318.58M	$957.86M	$335.69M
7 Day Performance	-0.46%	-3.18%	0.35%	-2.15%
1 Month Performance	-4.37%	-8.63%	-7.46%	-2.47%
1 Year Performance	6.37%	-30.97%	-3.51%	27.13%

Fastenal Competitors List

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Company	MarketRank	Share Price	Analysts' Price Target	1Y Price Performance	Market Cap	Revenue	P/E Ratio	Employee Count	Indicator(s)
FAST Fastenal	4.4013 of 5 stars	$43.57 -1.0%	$49.77 +14.2%	+4.8%	$50.51B	$8.20B	38.22	24,489	Positive News
NDSN Nordson	4.3581 of 5 stars	$281.85 -0.6%	$311.50 +10.5%	+32.9%	$15.82B	$2.79B	30.44	8,000	Positive News
BLDR Builders FirstSource	4.6936 of 5 stars	$74.88 -3.3%	$101.88 +36.0%	-43.5%	$8.33B	$15.19B	28.69	28,000
DOV Dover	4.5939 of 5 stars	$220.07 +0.1%	$237.36 +7.9%	+11.2%	$29.60B	$8.09B	27.44	24,000	Positive News
GGG Graco	4.8048 of 5 stars	$77.41 -0.2%	$94.25 +21.8%	-13.4%	$12.88B	$2.24B	25.21	4,400	Analyst Revision

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This page (NASDAQ:FAST) was last updated on 5/20/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.

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Fastenal (FAST) Competitors