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Side-by-side financial comparison of Core & Main, Inc. (CNM) and Fastenal (FAST). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Core & Main, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($2.1B vs $2.0B, roughly 1.0× Fastenal). Fastenal runs the higher net margin — 14.5% vs 6.6%, a 7.9% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Fastenal posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (3.5% vs 0.0%). Fastenal produced more free cash flow last quarter ($308.2M vs $263.0M). Over the past eight quarters, Core & Main, Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (19.7% CAGR vs 2.9%).
Core & Main, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, distributes products used for water, wastewater, storm drainage, and fire protection in the United States. Customers include municipalities, private water companies, and professional contractors. The company has 370 branch locations in 49 U.S. states, 60,000 customers, and sells 225,000 products.
Fastenal Company is an American publicly traded company based in Winona, Minnesota, founded in 1967. Fastenal is a major distributor of industrial and construction supplies, and the largest fastener distributor in North America. Fastenal provides supply chain solutions including bin stock, vending machines, inventory management, and logistics services.
CNM vs FAST — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q3 FY2026 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $2.1B | $2.0B |
| Net Profit | $137.0M | $293.9M |
| Gross Margin | 27.2% | 44.3% |
| Operating Margin | 10.7% | 18.9% |
| Net Margin | 6.6% | 14.5% |
| Revenue YoY | 0.0% | 3.5% |
| Net Profit YoY | 0.0% | -1.6% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.72 | $-0.01 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | — | $2.0B | ||
| Q4 25 | $2.1B | $2.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.1B | $2.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.9B | $2.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.7B | $2.0B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.0B | $1.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.0B | $1.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.7B | $1.9B |
| Q1 26 | — | $293.9M | ||
| Q4 25 | $137.0M | $293.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $134.0M | $335.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $100.0M | $330.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $64.0M | $298.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $133.0M | $262.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $119.0M | $298.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $95.0M | $292.7M |
| Q1 26 | — | 44.3% | ||
| Q4 25 | 27.2% | 44.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 26.8% | 45.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 26.7% | 45.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 26.6% | 45.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 26.6% | 44.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 26.4% | 44.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 26.9% | 45.1% |
| Q1 26 | — | 18.9% | ||
| Q4 25 | 10.7% | 18.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 10.2% | 20.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 8.9% | 21.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.3% | 20.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 10.9% | 18.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 10.4% | 20.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | 9.6% | 20.2% |
| Q1 26 | — | 14.5% | ||
| Q4 25 | 6.6% | 14.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.4% | 15.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.2% | 15.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.8% | 15.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 6.5% | 14.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 6.1% | 15.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.5% | 15.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | $-0.01 | ||
| Q4 25 | $0.72 | $-0.01 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.70 | $0.29 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.52 | $0.29 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.34 | $0.52 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.69 | $0.45 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.61 | $0.52 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.49 | $0.51 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $89.0M | $276.8M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | $125.0M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $2.0B | $3.9B |
| Total Assets | $6.3B | $5.1B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | 0.03× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $276.8M | ||
| Q4 25 | $89.0M | $276.8M | ||
| Q3 25 | $25.0M | $288.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $8.0M | $237.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $8.0M | $231.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $10.0M | $255.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $13.0M | $292.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $30.0M | $255.5M |
| Q1 26 | — | $125.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $125.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $195.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $230.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $200.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $200.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $240.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $235.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | $3.9B | ||
| Q4 25 | $2.0B | $3.9B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.9B | $3.9B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.7B | $3.8B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.7B | $3.7B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.7B | $3.6B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.6B | $3.6B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.6B | $3.5B |
| Q1 26 | — | $5.1B | ||
| Q4 25 | $6.3B | $5.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $6.3B | $5.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $6.3B | $5.0B | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.9B | $4.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.2B | $4.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $6.1B | $4.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $6.0B | $4.6B |
| Q1 26 | — | 0.03× | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 0.03× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 0.05× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 0.06× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.05× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 0.06× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 0.07× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 0.07× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $271.0M | $368.2M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $263.0M | $308.2M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 12.8% | 15.2% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 0.4% | 3.0% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 1.98× | 1.25× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $575.0M | $1.2B |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $368.2M | ||
| Q4 25 | $271.0M | $368.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $34.0M | $386.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $77.0M | $278.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | $235.0M | $262.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $260.0M | $282.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $48.0M | $296.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $78.0M | $258.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | $308.2M | ||
| Q4 25 | $263.0M | $308.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $24.0M | $326.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $64.0M | $209.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $224.0M | $206.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $252.0M | $222.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $39.0M | $237.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $71.0M | $201.9M |
| Q1 26 | — | 15.2% | ||
| Q4 25 | 12.8% | 15.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.1% | 15.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.3% | 10.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 13.2% | 10.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 12.4% | 12.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.0% | 12.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 4.1% | 10.5% |
| Q1 26 | — | 3.0% | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.4% | 3.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.5% | 2.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.7% | 3.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.6% | 2.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.4% | 3.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.5% | 3.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.4% | 2.9% |
| Q1 26 | — | 1.25× | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.98× | 1.25× | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.25× | 1.15× | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.77× | 0.84× | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.67× | 0.88× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.95× | 1.08× | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.40× | 1.00× | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.82× | 0.88× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
CNM
| Pipes Valves And Fitting Products | $1.4B | 67% |
| Storm Drainage Products | $333.0M | 16% |
| Meter Products | $195.0M | 9% |
| Fire Protection Products | $152.0M | 7% |
FAST
| Reportable Segment Aggregation Before Other Operating Segment | $1.8B | 90% |
| Other | $211.2M | 10% |
