W.W. Grainger (GWW) Competitors

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

Does the media prefer GWW or FAST?

In the previous week, W.W. Grainger had 23 more articles in the media than Fastenal. MarketBeat recorded 29 mentions for W.W. Grainger and 6 mentions for Fastenal. W.W. Grainger's average media sentiment score of 1.47 beat Fastenal's score of 0.65 indicating that W.W. Grainger is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
W.W. Grainger	25 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Fastenal	0 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is GWW or FAST more profitable?

Fastenal has a net margin of 15.13% compared to W.W. Grainger's net margin of 11.08%. W.W. Grainger's return on equity of 51.28% beat Fastenal's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
W.W. Grainger	11.08%	51.28%	22.00%
Fastenal	15.13%	31.99%	24.36%

Which has more volatility and risk, GWW or FAST?

W.W. Grainger has a beta of 1.18, meaning that its share price is 18% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Fastenal has a beta of 0.96, meaning that its share price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts recommend GWW or FAST?

W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus target price of $1,123.13, suggesting a potential upside of 7.88%. Fastenal has a consensus target price of $40.40, suggesting a potential downside of 5.32%. Given W.W. Grainger's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe W.W. Grainger is more favorable than Fastenal.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
W.W. Grainger	2 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.17
Fastenal	1 Sell rating(s)	8 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.09

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of GWW or FAST?

80.7% of W.W. Grainger shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.4% of Fastenal shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.1% of W.W. Grainger shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Fastenal shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is GWW or FAST a better dividend stock?

W.W. Grainger pays an annual dividend of $9.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Fastenal pays an annual dividend of $0.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. W.W. Grainger pays out 23.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Fastenal pays out 88.0% 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.

Which has stronger valuation & earnings, GWW or FAST?

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	$17.17B	2.91	$1.91B	$38.95	26.73
Fastenal	$7.55B	6.49	$1.15B	$1.00	42.67

Summary

W.W. Grainger beats Fastenal on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.