GWW vs FAST vs FERG
161 measures in 16 categories, one definition each, computed from filings and market data.
GWW61.4
W.W. Grainger, Inc.
Industrials · Industrial - Distribution
$1,330.70 −0.06%$62.7B mkt cap
Score DNA
FAST68.5
Fastenal Company
Industrials · Industrial - Distribution
$51.02 +1.27%$58.5B mkt cap
Score DNA
FERG51.1
Ferguson plc
Industrials · Industrial - Distribution
$231.61 +1.26%$44.8B mkt cap
Score DNA
Price, rebased to 100 three years ago
GWW FAST FERG · weekly adjusted closesSmart money 8Valuation 16Profitability (TTM) 12Returns on capital 11Growth 17Margin history & stability 7Liquidity (latest quarter) 7Leverage & solvency (latest quarter) 13Efficiency 11Cash flow & earnings quality 7Dividends & buybacks 9Scores & forensic checks 15Per share 7Size (TTM) 8Price performance 9Technicals 4
● marks the highest or lowest value where that direction is plainly stronger (margins, returns, coverage, leverage); multiples and yields are left unmarked. Bars show each stock's percentile within its own industry. n/a: the measure does not apply to lenders and insurers.
Smart money
8 measures| Measure | GWW | FAST | FERG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insider open-market buys, 180d | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Insider $ bought, 180d | — | — | — |
| Congress purchases, 180d | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Last Congress purchase | — | 2026-09-04 | 2026-09-25 |
| 13F net change in holders | +97 | +42 | +15 |
| ETFs adding shares, 30d | 1,162 | 1,345 | 1,111 |
| ETFs trimming, 30d | 905 | 1,075 | 819 |
| Net ETF funds, 30d | +257 | +270 | +292 |
Valuation
16 measures| Measure | GWW | FAST | FERG |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E (TTM) | 33.5x
86th
|
41.3x
93rd
|
22.0x
29th
|
| PEG (P/E ÷ 3-yr EPS CAGR) | 8.38
100th
|
5.42
86th
|
4.88
71st
|
| Price / sales | 3.3x
89th
|
6.4x
100th
|
1.4x
63rd
|
| Price / book | 15.2x
100th
|
14.1x
95th
|
7.2x
84th
|
| Price / tangible book | 18.4x
86th
|
13.7x
57th
|
18.1x
79th
|
| Price / free cash flow | 41.5x
76th
|
55.6x
82nd
|
35.4x
71st
|
| Price / operating cash flow | 28.8x
78th
|
44.7x
89th
|
26.6x
67th
|
| Enterprise value | $64.9B
100th
|
$58.8B
95th
|
$50.8B
89th
|
| EV / sales | 3.4x
89th
|
6.5x
100th
|
1.6x
63rd
|
| EV / EBITDA | 21.5x
82nd
|
28.7x
88th
|
15.7x
47th
|
| EV / EBIT | 23.5x
80th
|
31.5x
93rd
|
17.9x
60th
|
| EV / free cash flow | 43.0x
76th
|
55.8x
82nd
|
40.2x
71st
|
| Earnings yield | 3.0%
37th
|
2.4%
32nd
|
4.6%
79th
|
| FCF yield | 2.4%
32nd
|
1.8%
26th
|
2.8%
37th
|
| Operating cash flow yield | 3.5%
26th
|
2.2%
16th
|
3.8%
37th
|
| Graham number (per share) | $278.73
100th
|
$10.01
7th
|
$86.94
57th
|
Profitability (TTM)
12 measures| Measure | GWW | FAST | FERG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 39.4%
89th
|
44.6%
100th
|
30.6%
58th
|
| EBITDA margin | 16.0%
95th
|
22.6%
100th
|
10.1%
47th
|
| Operating margin | 14.6%
95th
|
20.5%
100th
|
9.0%
63rd
|
| EBIT margin | 14.7%
95th
|
20.6%
100th
|
8.9%
58th
|
| Net margin | 9.9%
95th
|
15.6%
100th
|
6.4%
68th
|
| NOPAT margin | 10.7%
95th
|
15.6%
100th
|
6.9%
63rd
|
| FCF margin | 8.0%
68th
|
11.6%
100th
|
4.0%
42nd
|
| Operating cash flow margin | 11.5%
89th
|
14.4%
100th
|
5.3%
42nd
|
| R&D / revenue | 0.0%
0th
|
0.0%
0th
|
0.0%
0th
|
| SG&A / revenue | 24.8%
74th
|
24.1%
68th
|
20.6%
58th
|
| Stock comp / revenue | 0.4%
53rd
|
0.1%
0th
|
0.3%
32nd
|
| Effective tax rate | 26.2%
84th
|
24.0%
68th
|
23.1%
47th
|
Returns on capital
11 measures| Measure | GWW | FAST | FERG |
|---|---|---|---|
| ROE (on average equity) | 47.9%
100th
|
35.3%
95th
|
33.9%
89th
|
| ROA | 20.2%
95th
|
26.7%
100th
|
11.0%
79th
|
| ROIC | 31.9%
95th
|
32.3%
100th
|
18.1%
79th
|
| ROCE | 37.0%
95th
|
41.3%
100th
|
22.0%
79th
|
| Return on tangible assets | 29.8%
95th
|
35.2%
100th
|
15.4%
79th
|
| Cash ROIC (OCF / invested capital) | 34.3%
100th
|
29.9%
95th
|
13.8%
47th
|
| Gross profitability (GP / assets) | 77.2%
95th
|
73.7%
89th
|
50.5%
79th
|
| ROIC, 3-yr average | 27.6%
100th
|
25.5%
94th
|
15.3%
71st
|
| ROIC, 5-yr average | 34.3%
100th
|
29.9%
89th
|
20.9%
68th
|
| ROE, 5-yr average | 54.6%
100th
|
32.9%
84th
|
35.7%
89th
|
| Incremental ROIC | 115.7%
74th
|
256.4%
95th
|
96.1%
68th
|
Growth
17 measures| Measure | GWW | FAST | FERG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (TTM YoY) | 7.8%
58th
|
13.5%
84th
|
3.7%
42nd
|
| Revenue growth (QoQ) | 5.9%
16th
|
3.2%
5th
|
17.1%
74th
|
| Revenue CAGR, 3 yr | 5.6%
58th
|
7.6%
74th
|
2.4%
32nd
|
| Revenue CAGR, 5 yr | 9.0%
63rd
|
9.2%
68th
|
6.9%
37th
|
| Gross profit CAGR, 3 yr | 5.6%
58th
|
6.8%
68th
|
2.6%
37th
|
| Operating income CAGR, 3 yr | 3.3%
60th
|
7.3%
87th
|
2.6%
53rd
|
| Net income growth (TTM YoY) | -2.7%
15th
|
15.6%
69th
|
9.9%
62nd
|
| Net income CAGR, 3 yr | 1.9%
50th
|
7.7%
71st
|
2.6%
57th
|
| EPS growth (TTM YoY) | -0.9%
15th
|
15.7%
77th
|
12.8%
62nd
|
| EPS CAGR, 3 yr | 4.0%
50th
|
7.6%
71st
|
4.5%
57th
|
| EPS CAGR, 5 yr | 19.0%
77th
|
9.9%
62nd
|
9.2%
54th
|
| FCF growth (TTM YoY) | 6.6%
44th
|
9.2%
50th
|
-21.8%
19th
|
| FCF CAGR, 3 yr | 3.6%
62nd
|
-4.3%
56th
|
-17.9%
12th
|
| Operating cash flow CAGR, 3 yr | 9.8%
69th
|
-1.7%
50th
|
-14.8%
12th
|
| Book value CAGR, 3 yr | 14.4%
84th
|
6.1%
37th
|
9.2%
47th
|
| Dividend CAGR, 3 yr | 6.2%
92nd
|
4.0%
67th
|
3.3%
50th
|
| Sustainable growth rate | 35.2%
100th
|
7.9%
36th
|
22.7%
86th
|
Margin history & stability
7 measures| Measure | GWW | FAST | FERG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross margin, 3-yr average | 39.3%
89th
|
45.0%
100th
|
30.6%
58th
|
| Operating margin, 3-yr average | 15.0%
95th
|
20.4%
100th
|
8.8%
58th
|
| Net margin, 3-yr average | 10.6%
95th
|
15.5%
100th
|
6.1%
63rd
|
| FCF margin, 3-yr average | 8.9%
84th
|
12.5%
100th
|
4.8%
47th
|
| Revenue stability (0-1) | 0.96
84th
|
0.96
95th
|
0.86
47th
|
| Earnings stability (0-1) | 0.78
79th
|
0.92
100th
|
0.17
42nd
|
| Margin stability (0-1) | 0.95
32nd
|
0.99
95th
|
1.00
100th
|
Liquidity (latest quarter)
7 measures| Measure | GWW | FAST | FERG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash & short-term investments | $589.0M
89th
|
$211.9M
42nd
|
$437.0M
63rd
|
| Net cash (− = net debt) | −$2.2B
26th
|
−$239.8M
74th
|
−$6.0B
0th
|
| Working capital | $3.9B
84th
|
$2.9B
79th
|
$4.7B
89th
|
| Current ratio | 2.81
63rd
|
3.93
89th
|
1.73
11th
|
| Quick ratio | 1.70
68th
|
2.11
79th
|
0.93
16th
|
| Cash ratio (cash + ST investments / current liabilities) | 0.28
58th
|
0.22
42nd
|
0.07
11th
|
| Defensive interval (days) | 266 days
37th
|
305 days
42nd
|
249 days
32nd
|
Leverage & solvency (latest quarter)
13 measures| Measure | GWW | FAST | FERG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total debt | $2.8B
79th
|
$451.7M
16th
|
$6.4B
89th
|
| Debt / equity | 0.68
47th
|
0.11
5th
|
1.03
58th
|
| Net debt / equity | 0.53
53rd
|
0.06
26th
|
0.96
63rd
|
| Debt / assets | 29.1%
42nd
|
8.2%
5th
|
33.2%
58th
|
| Debt / capital | 40.4%
47th
|
9.8%
5th
|
50.8%
58th
|
| Debt / EBITDA | 0.93
35th
|
0.22
0th
|
1.98
47th
|
| Net debt / EBITDA | 0.73
35th
|
0.12
24th
|
1.85
47th
|
| Interest coverage (EBIT / interest) | 34.1x
87th
|
— | 14.9x
73rd
|
| Cash interest coverage | 26.9x
81st
|
4,368.0x
100th
|
8.8x
56th
|
| Debt payback (years of OCF) | 1.3 yrs
33rd
|
0.3 yrs
6th
|
3.8 yrs
50th
|
| Liabilities / assets | 53.1%
47th
|
24.5%
0th
|
67.9%
84th
|
| IS credit model rating | AAA | AAA | A+ |
| Implied credit spread (bps) | 50
0th
|
50
0th
|
125
47th
|
Efficiency
11 measures| Measure | GWW | FAST | FERG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asset turnover | 2.03
95th
|
1.71
79th
|
1.72
84th
|
| Fixed asset turnover | 6.83
21st
|
5.93
5th
|
8.10
32nd
|
| Inventory turnover | 4.8
68th
|
2.9
21st
|
4.6
53rd
|
| Receivables turnover | 7.1
58th
|
6.1
26th
|
7.8
74th
|
| Days sales outstanding | 51 days
42nd
|
60 days
74th
|
47 days
26th
|
| Days inventory outstanding | 76 days
32nd
|
127 days
79th
|
79 days
47th
|
| Days payables outstanding | 40 days
32nd
|
29 days
11th
|
63 days
84th
|
| Cash conversion cycle (days) | 87 days
53rd
|
158 days
95th
|
63 days
5th
|
| Capex / revenue | 3.5%
95th
|
2.8%
89th
|
1.3%
58th
|
| Capex / depreciation | 2.59
100th
|
1.43
84th
|
1.09
79th
|
| Operating expense ratio | 23.4%
68th
|
23.3%
58th
|
20.8%
42nd
|
Cash flow & earnings quality
7 measures| Measure | GWW | FAST | FERG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating cash flow / net income | 1.16
36th
|
0.92
21st
|
0.83
14th
|
| FCF / net income | 0.81
29th
|
0.74
21st
|
0.62
14th
|
| FCF / operating cash flow | 69.4%
22nd
|
80.4%
50th
|
75.0%
33rd
|
| Capex / operating cash flow | 30.6%
78th
|
19.6%
50th
|
25.0%
67th
|
| Accruals ratio | -3.3%
53rd
|
2.0%
89th
|
1.9%
84th
|
| Sloan accruals ratio | -0.5%
37th
|
-0.7%
32nd
|
0.8%
42nd
|
| Earnings quality score (0-1) | 1.00
50th
|
0.75
14th
|
0.75
14th
|
Scores & forensic checks
15 measures| Measure | GWW | FAST | FERG |
|---|---|---|---|
| IS score | 61
74th
|
68
95th
|
51
42nd
|
| IS profitability | 71
95th
|
79
100th
|
53
74th
|
| IS growth | 48
32nd
|
64
89th
|
52
42nd
|
| IS value | 44
21st
|
41
11th
|
46
32nd
|
| IS momentum | 70
53rd
|
77
68th
|
65
42nd
|
| IS risk (safety) | 100
47th
|
100
47th
|
100
47th
|
| IS quality | 80
89th
|
80
84th
|
63
47th
|
| IS balance sheet | 76
74th
|
84
84th
|
59
47th
|
| IS earnings quality | 76
79th
|
69
37th
|
71
47th
|
| IS cash flow | 55
53rd
|
65
74th
|
35
32nd
|
| Piotroski F-score (0-9) | 7
68th
|
6
32nd
|
6
32nd
|
| Altman Z-score | 13.3
95th
|
29.9
100th
|
5.1
58th
|
| Beneish M-score | −2.50
42nd
|
−2.23
89th
|
−2.29
79th
|
| Ohlson O-score | −9.26
21st
|
−12.13
0th
|
−7.68
47th
|
| IS credit score | 96
84th
|
96
95th
|
80
53rd
|
Size (TTM)
8 measures| Measure | GWW | FAST | FERG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $62.7B
100th
|
$58.5B
95th
|
$44.8B
89th
|
| Revenue | $18.8B
89th
|
$9.1B
79th
|
$31.9B
100th
|
| EBITDA | $3.0B
95th
|
$2.0B
89th
|
$3.2B
100th
|
| Net income | $1.9B
95th
|
$1.4B
89th
|
$2.0B
100th
|
| Free cash flow | $1.5B
100th
|
$1.1B
89th
|
$1.3B
95th
|
| Total assets | $9.6B
84th
|
$5.5B
68th
|
$19.3B
95th
|
| Shareholders' equity | $4.1B
79th
|
$4.1B
84th
|
$6.2B
95th
|
| Employees | 23,550
95th
|
22,230
89th
|
35,000
100th
|
Price performance
9 measures| Measure | GWW | FAST | FERG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 day | −0.1% | +1.3% | +1.3% |
| 1 week | +3.1% | +0.5% | +5.3% |
| 1 month | +5.4% | +3.7% | +8.1% |
| 3 months | −3.0% | +14.6% | +1.1% |
| 6 months | +14.4% | +12.7% | −11.1% |
| Year to date | +32.8% | +28.3% | +3.0% |
| 1 year | +39.2% | +23.4% | −4.0% |
| 3 years, cumulative | +89.9% | +95.8% | +40.2% |
| 5 years, cumulative | +233.1% | +118.3% | +76.3% |
Technicals
4 measures| Measure | GWW | FAST | FERG |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI 14 | 63.3 | 54.2 | 61.9 |
| From 52-week high | −6.3% | −3.6% | −14.7% |
| From 52-week low | +46.8% | +33.1% | +9.2% |
| Beta | 1.01 | 0.69 | 1.12 |
InsiderStreet reports findings from filings and market data. A comparison is not a recommendation to buy or sell either stock.Every figure is computed in code · data as of 2026-10-17