Which has the lower trailing P/E, FAST or GWW?

GWW has the lower trailing P/E: FAST trades at 43.38 and GWW at 32.96. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Does FAST or GWW pay a bigger dividend?

FAST yields 1.95% and GWW yields 0.74% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is FAST or GWW more profitable?

FAST runs the higher net margin — FAST at 15.45% versus GWW at 9.92%.

How have FAST and GWW total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, FAST delivered 20.20% and GWW delivered 20.88% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

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

A side-by-side comparison of Fastenal Company and W.W. Grainger, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of September 13, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

FAST

Fastenal Company

$58.74B

$51.19IndustrialsDelayed quote: Sep 24, 2026, 10:20 AM EDT

GWW

W.W. Grainger, Inc.

$60.99B

$1,291.74IndustrialsDelayed quote: Sep 24, 2026, 10:20 AM EDT

Total return — FAST vs GWW

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

FAST +541.0% (+20.4%/yr)GWW +584.9% (+21.2%/yr)GWW compounded faster over this window

FAST GWW

FAST vs GWW: by the numbers

•GWW is the larger company ($60.99B vs $58.74B market cap).
•GWW trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (32.96 vs 43.38 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•FAST converts more revenue to profit (15.45% vs 9.92% net margin).
•FAST pays the higher dividend yield (1.95% vs 0.74%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	FAST	GWW
P/E ratio	43.38	32.96
Forward P/E	40.42	27.77
P/S ratio	6.71	3.24
P/B ratio	14.44	14.76
EV / EBITDA	30.17	21.05
FCF yield	1.76%	2.48%

Profitability

Metric	FAST	GWW
Gross margin	44.70%	39.40%
Operating margin	20.29%	14.57%
Net margin	15.45%	9.92%
ROE	33.23%	45.27%
ROIC	30.16%	27.07%

Dividends

Metric	FAST	GWW
Dividend yield	1.95%	0.74%
Payout ratio	81.36%	24.24%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	FAST	GWW
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	8.96%	9.00%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	7.96%	22.25%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	2.54%	9.51%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	15.73%	26.48%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, FAST or GWW?: GWW has the lower trailing P/E: FAST trades at 43.38 and GWW at 32.96. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Does FAST or GWW pay a bigger dividend?: FAST yields 1.95% and GWW yields 0.74% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is FAST or GWW more profitable?: FAST runs the higher net margin — FAST at 15.45% versus GWW at 9.92%.
How have FAST and GWW total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, FAST delivered 20.20% and GWW delivered 20.88% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full FAST analysis Full GWW analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Fastenal P/E ratio W.W. Grainger P/E ratio Fastenal dividend yield W.W. Grainger dividend yield Fastenal ROE W.W. Grainger ROE Fastenal operating margin W.W. Grainger operating margin Fastenal revenue growth W.W. Grainger revenue growth Fastenal free cash flow W.W. Grainger free cash flow

Fastenal & W.W. Grainger appear in these rankings

25+ Year Dividend Growers Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks Highest 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified September 13, 2026.