Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST – Get Free Report) and Custom Truck One Source (NYSE:CTOS – Get Free Report) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, risk, profitability and dividends.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
81.4% of Fastenal shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.1% of Custom Truck One Source shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Fastenal shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.7% of Custom Truck One Source shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current recommendations for Fastenal and Custom Truck One Source, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Fastenal | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2.36 |
| Custom Truck One Source | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2.38 |
Fastenal currently has a consensus price target of $51.46, indicating a potential downside of 7.26%. Custom Truck One Source has a consensus price target of $12.00, indicating a potential upside of 15.85%. Given Custom Truck One Source’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Custom Truck One Source is more favorable than Fastenal.
Profitability
This table compares Fastenal and Custom Truck One Source’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Fastenal | 15.62% | 35.13% | 26.95% |
| Custom Truck One Source | 1.44% | 3.63% | 0.83% |
Volatility & Risk
Fastenal has a beta of 0.66, suggesting that its stock price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Custom Truck One Source has a beta of 1.46, suggesting that its stock price is 46% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Fastenal and Custom Truck One Source”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Fastenal | $8.20 billion | 7.76 | $1.26 billion | $1.24 | 44.75 |
| Custom Truck One Source | $2.05 billion | 1.15 | -$31.05 million | $0.13 | 79.68 |
Fastenal has higher revenue and earnings than Custom Truck One Source. Fastenal is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Custom Truck One Source, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Fastenal beats Custom Truck One Source on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Fastenal
Fastenal Company is a distributor of industrial and construction supplies, serving businesses that need products to maintain facilities, support production and complete building projects. Its offerings include fasteners such as screws, nuts and bolts, as well as safety supplies, tools and other maintenance, repair and operations products. In addition to product distribution, Fastenal provides services designed to help customers manage supplies and purchasing. These include inventory management, on-site support and industrial vending solutions that make frequently used items available at customer facilities.
About Custom Truck One Source
Custom Truck One Source, Inc. provides specialized trucks and equipment, along with rental, sales, parts and service for customers in utility, telecommunications, rail, forestry and other infrastructure-related industries. The company serves customers across North America. Its offerings include aerial lifts, bucket trucks, digger derricks, cranes, forestry equipment and rail equipment. Customers can rent or buy new and used equipment, and the company also provides maintenance, repair, refurbishment and equipment customization services.
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