COMPARE · Data as of August 27, 2026
FAST vs GIC
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. FAST scored 42.5, GIC scored 63.0 — GIC leads.
Compare another set
FAST
Fastenal Company
42.5
$51.13 · $58.7B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
20.5
GIC leads
GIC
Global Industrial Company
63
$39.62 · $1.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestGIC17.9x
- Fastest growthFAST+12.5%
- Strongest balance sheetFAST0.11
- Highest qualityFAST89 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
FAST
stronger →← stronger
GIC
89
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
84
82
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
56
11
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
54
FAST is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
FAST
GIC
$1.2bC+
FCF
$87mC-
+12.5%B+
Rev
+8.4%B
0.11A
D/E
0.29A-
43.7xC
P/E
17.9xA-
3.64D
PEG
1.31B
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
FAST
GIC
124% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
12% above
~27%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~2%/yr
-60%
1-yr DCF upside
-1%
-55%
5-yr DCF upside
-11%
-48%
10-yr DCF upside
-23%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
FAST
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
- Durable high returns
GIC
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
- Durable high returns
The companies
FASTFastenal Company
Why now
Industrial Distribution · market cap $58.7b. 3% off the 52-week high of $52.92. Revenue growing +13%, comfortably above the S&P median. 13 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $48.53 (implying -5% upside).
Moat
Net margin 15% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 33% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. $58.7b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Trailing P/E 44x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates.
GICGlobal Industrial Company
Why now
Industrial Distribution · market cap $1.5b. Trading near 52-week high of $40.71 — momentum setup, limited technical margin of safety.
Moat
ROE 25% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 100% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Trading within 3% of the 52-week high — limited technical margin of safety; a momentum reversal would test conviction.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where FAST and GIC diverge
On the headline score the gap is 20.5 points in favor of GIC. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- ValueFAST 10.5 · GIC 53.5GIC +43.0
- GrowthFAST 81.9 · GIC 55.8FAST +26.1
- QualityFAST 88.8 · GIC 83.6FAST +5.2
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.