Which is better, CAT or FAST?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Fastenal Company (FAST) currently grades higher than CAT — 76/100 (B grade) vs 64/100 (C). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — CAT wins on Peter Lynch; FAST wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy CAT or FAST?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both CAT and FAST are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is CAT better than FAST for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, FAST currently grades higher — 76/100 vs 64/100, a 12-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between CAT and FAST on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). CAT currently scores 64/100 (C grade); FAST scores 76/100 (B grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, CAT or FAST?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. CAT and FAST are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, CAT or FAST?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are CAT and FAST both Industrials stocks?

Yes — both Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) and Fastenal Company (FAST) operate in the Industrials sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this CAT vs FAST comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

Caterpillar

Fastenal

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

CAT

Caterpillar

Market cap

$399.52B

Sector

Industrials

FAST

Fastenal

Market cap

$50.15B

Sector

Industrials

Overall winner

Fastenal FAST

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	CAT	FAST	Winner
Warren Buffett	64C	76B	FAST
Benjamin Graham	89A	90A	FAST
Philip Fisher	59C	64C	FAST
Peter Lynch	73B	67B	CAT
Joel Greenblatt	56C	75C	FAST
Charlie Munger	63C	77B	FAST
Terry Smith	60C	73B	FAST

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	CAT	FAST
Market cap	$399.52B	$50.15B
P/E (TTM)	42.7x	38.4x
EV/EBIT	39.1x	30.2x
ROIC (TTM)	12.44%	28.76%
Gross margin	32.52%	44.89%
Net margin	13.31%	15.39%
Revenue CAGR 5y	7.31%	8.07%
EPS CAGR 5y	12.19%	8.29%
Debt / Equity	2.3x	0.1x
Dividend yield	0.7%	2.12%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

CAT leads on

Market cap$399.52Bvs $50.15B+87%
EPS CAGR 5y12.19%vs 8.29%+32%

FAST leads on

Debt / Equity0.1xvs 2.3x+95%
Dividend yield2.12%vs 0.7%+67%
ROIC (TTM)28.76%vs 12.44%+57%
Gross margin44.89%vs 32.52%+28%

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.

Caterpillar

Fastenal

Fit scores by strategy

Side-by-side metrics

Where each one wins

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