Fastenal Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and internationally. It offers fasteners, and related industrial and construction supplies under the Fastenal name. The company's fastener products include threaded fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related washers that are used in manufactured products and construction projects, …
Full FAST analysis →
Competitive advantage assessment
Key strengths
Margins Consistently Above PeersGross margin at 45.0% (top 0%) and operating margin at 20.2% (top 0%) indicate strong pricing power.
Margins Stable Across CyclesOperating margin volatility is low (stability score 0.95), demonstrating pricing resilience across cycles.
The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks
against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.
Upgrade to unlock the signals and evidence behind each defense.
Premium access
Unlock full defense analysis
Get key signals, strengths, and risks for every moat dimension.
Pricing power is the ability to raise prices without losing volume.
Cost Advantage
Score 69
· 15% of the moat score
A cost advantage means delivering the same product for structurally less — better purchasing, denser distribution, a more automated process.
Customer Stickiness
Score 97
· 15% of the moat score
Stickiness is what makes revenue repeat without being re-won every year.
Capital Efficiency
Score 98
· 18% of the moat score
Capital efficiency asks what the company earns on the money tied up in the business.
Resilience
Score 95
· 17% of the moat score
Resilience is the capacity to get through a bad year on its own terms — enough liquidity, enough interest cover, and enough cash generation to avoid a rescue financing or a forced sale.
Scale & Market Position
Score 81
· 15% of the moat score
Scale matters only when it converts into economics.
Fastenal Company (FAST) scores 91 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as strong. It ranks #1 of 21 scored companies in Industrial Distribution, the top 5%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 20 companies in Industrial Distribution. Its strongest defense is Capital Efficiency (98/100) and its weakest is Cost Advantage (69/100).
How does Fastenal Company compare with other Industrial Distribution companies?
Fastenal Company ranks #1 of 21 scored companies in Industrial Distribution by moat score. That is the widest moat in Industrial Distribution. The companies ranked closest are W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) at 77 just below it.
How is the moat score calculated?
Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Corporate Default in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 20 companies in Industrial Distribution. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.
Why is Fastenal Company scored with the Corporate Default template?
Most public companies sell a product or a service at a margin, so the moat question is whether that margin survives contact with competitors. The Corporate template scores the six defenses that show up in a general operating company's financial signature: whether it can hold price, produce more cheaply than rivals, keep its customers, earn a return above its cost of capital, withstand a downturn, and turn size into economics.
Which competitive defenses are measured for Fastenal Company?
The Corporate Default template measures 6 defenses, and FAST scores: Pricing Power (97), Cost Advantage (69), Customer Stickiness (97), Capital Efficiency (98), Resilience (95), Scale & Market Position (81). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.
We value your privacy
We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze site traffic, and personalize content. By clicking 'Accept All', you consent to our use of cookies.
Read our cookie policy
Cookie Preferences
Manage your cookie preferences. Essential cookies are always enabled.