CVS HEALTH CORPORATION vs FASTENAL CO, two Retail stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where CVS and FAST diverge most: on debt / equity, CVS reads 0.77 and FAST reads 0.03; on p/s, CVS reads 0.27 and FAST reads 6.67. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. What CVS's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What FAST's price implies is a demanding bet versus history and the cohort (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | CVS | FAST |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $86.18 | $50.75 |
| Market cap | $110.9B | $58.4B |
| Sector | Retail | Retail |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +28.9% |
| P/E | 22.7 | 34.8 |
| P/B | 1.39 | 14.35 |
| P/S | 0.27 | 6.67 |
| EV/EBITDA | 12.6 | 29.8 |
| Revenue growth | +7.3% | +12.5% |
| Gross margin | — | 44.6% |
| Operating margin | 4.4% | 21.0% |
| Net margin | 0.7% | 15.4% |
| Return on equity | 3.7% | 33.2% |
| Return on assets | 1.2% | 25.5% |
| Return on invested capital | 4.4% | 32.3% |
| FCF yield | 10.6% | 2.0% |
| Dividend yield | 3.1% | 1.7% |
| Debt / equity | 0.77 | 0.03 |
| Current ratio | 0.87 | 4.18 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.39 | 9.67 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 5 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.