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Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

Cintas vs Fastenal Company: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

The structural profiles are close, with Fastenal Company carrying a narrow edge on growth. Cintas still leads on valuation and stability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup broadly confirms the structural lead — Fastenal Company holds the more constructive position. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — Fastenal Company's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels.

Updated 2026-04-05

The clearest separation starts in growth, but profitability adds another real layer to the result.

Trajectory Similarity
0.81
Similar
Peer-set rank: #3
within Cintas Corporation's functional peer set

This pair is matched through long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

A solid similarity means the pair shares a clearly comparable long-term financial profile, even if individual dimensions still differ.

Most of the shared profile comes through revenue stability and investment intensity.

Similarity drivers
revenue stabilityinvestment intensity
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
CTAS
Cintas Corporation
65
Peer-Score
Signal qualityMedium
vs
FAST
Fastenal Company
66
Peer-Score
Signal qualityMedium

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: CTAS vs FAST Profitability 69 79 Stability 83 71 Valuation 57 47 Growth 55 70 CTAS FAST
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +15
#2 Stability +12
#3 Profitability +10
#4 Valuation +10
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for CTAS and FAST Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer CTASFAST Relative valuation Structural strength

The structural gap is limited here, but current pricing still leans against Fastenal Company.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
Both rank well on growth, but Fastenal Company still sits higher.
Stability
On stability, the same pattern holds: both rank well, but Cintas Corporation still sits higher.
Growth — Dominant Gap
CTAS
55
FAST
70
Gap+15in favour of FAST

The clearest distance comes from a stronger growth profile.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

A meaningful counterforce remains in stability, which keeps the comparison from looking completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and stability — though valuation still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the CTAS vs FAST comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

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Similar growth-and-stability comparisons

Explore how CTAS and FAST each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.