Which is better, FAST or MLI?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Fastenal Company (FAST) currently grades higher than MLI — 66/100 (B grade) vs 57/100 (C). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — FAST wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith; MLI wins on none. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy FAST or MLI?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both FAST and MLI 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 FAST better than MLI for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, FAST currently grades higher — 66/100 vs 57/100, a 9-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 FAST and MLI 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). FAST currently scores 66/100 (B grade); MLI scores 57/100 (C grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, FAST or MLI?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. FAST and MLI 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, FAST or MLI?

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 FAST and MLI both Industrials stocks?

Yes — both Fastenal Company (FAST) and Mueller Industries, Inc. (MLI) 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 FAST vs MLI 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

Fastenal

Mueller Industries

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

FAST

Fastenal

Market cap

$49.92B

Sector

Industrials

MLI

Mueller Industries

Market cap

$15.56B

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	FAST	MLI	Winner
Warren Buffett	66B	57C	FAST
Benjamin Graham	80A	65B	FAST
Philip Fisher

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	FAST	MLI
Market cap	$49.92B	$15.56B
P/E (TTM)	38.4x	18.1x
EV/EBIT	30.2x	15.9x
ROIC (TTM)	28.76%	22.01%
Gross margin	44.89%	27.76%
Net margin	15.39%	19.37%
Revenue CAGR 5y	8.07%

Where each one wins

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

FAST leads on

Market cap$49.92Bvs $15.56B+69%
Revenue CAGR 5y8.07%vs 2.61%+68%
Dividend yield2.12%vs 0.78%+63%
Gross margin44.89%vs 27.76%

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Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

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