FAST vs MSM: Fastenal and MSC Industrial Direct Company compared
The short version
From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.
- Fastenal is the larger company, worth $58.0B, about 8.2 times MSC Industrial Direct Company.
- Fastenal grew revenue faster over the last year (+14.7% vs +7.8%).
- Fastenal keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (20.3% vs 8.5%).
- On earnings, MSC Industrial Direct Company is the cheaper stock (33.9x vs 44.7x).
- Fastenal's price assumes faster free cash flow growth: about 18% a year, against 10% for MSC Industrial Direct Company (reverse DCF).
Side by side
The stronger figure is shaded where higher (or, for valuation multiples, lower) reads as better. How the implied growth works.
| Measure | FAST | MSM |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $58.0B | $7.0B |
| Share price | $50.75 | $129.51 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $8.2B | $3.8B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | $1.1B | $241M |
| Revenue growth, last year | +14.7% | +7.8% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +8.1% | +3.8% |
| Operating margin | 20.3% | 8.5% |
| Net margin | 15.4% | 5.9% |
| Return on equity | 33.2% | 16.3% |
| P/E (trailing) | 44.7x | 33.9x |
| Price / free cash flow | 55.2x | 29.2x |
| EV / EBITDA | 30.0x | 17.8x |
| FCF growth the price implies | 18.3% | 9.9% |
| Dividend yield | 1.8% | 2.7% |
| Debt / equity | 0.30x | 0.76x |
| Fundamental grade | B | C |
| Superinvestors holding it | 4 | 6 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 7 | 5 |
Results from SEC filings
Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.
Fastenal
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $6.0B | $614M | 20.3% |
| 2022 | $7.0B | $767M | 20.8% |
| 2023 | $7.3B | $1.3B | 20.8% |
| 2024 | $7.5B | $947M | 20.0% |
| 2025 | $8.2B | $1.1B | 20.2% |
MSC Industrial Direct Company
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $3.2B | $171M | 9.3% |
| 2022 | $3.7B | $185M | 12.7% |
| 2023 | $4.0B | $607M | 12.1% |
| 2024 | $3.8B | $311M | 10.2% |
| 2025 | $3.8B | $241M | 8.0% |
Where the revenue comes from
Fastenal · by segments, 2025
U.S. reportable segment$6.8B83%
Other operating segment$1.4B17%
MSC Industrial Direct Company
No segment breakdown reported.
Compare them in fullFifteen years of statements, quarterly results, DCF and IRR models, and any number of peers side by side.
Open FAST in InvestinglyQuestions
Which is bigger, Fastenal or MSC Industrial Direct Company?
Fastenal (FAST), at $58.0B against $7.0B.
Is FAST or MSM cheaper?
By trailing P/E, MSC Industrial Direct Company (33.9x) is cheaper than Fastenal (44.7x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, FAST or MSM?
Fastenal: revenue grew +14.7% over the last year, against +7.8%.
Prices and ratios as of the last daily update; statements from SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice.