VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Stock Comparison

Fastenal Company vs Morningstar, Inc.

Compare moat strength, market structure, and segment coverage to understand how each company defends its edge.

Fastenal Company

FAST · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$48.2B
Gross margin (TTM)45.2%
Operating margin (TTM)20.2%
Net margin (TTM)15.3%
SectorIndustrials
IndustryIndustrial - Distribution
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-06
Moat score
57/ 100

Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.

Full stock profile

Dive deeper into Fastenal Company's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View FAST analysis

Morningstar, Inc.

MORN · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorFinancials
Industry
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-10
Moat score
67/ 100

Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.

Full stock profile

Dive deeper into Morningstar, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View MORN analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Morningstar, Inc. leads (67 / 100 vs 57 / 100 for Fastenal Company).
  • Segment focus: Fastenal Company has 2 segments (55.7% in Core industrial & construction supplies distribution (branches, Onsite, eBusiness excl. FMI)); Morningstar, Inc. has 7 segments (34.6% in Morningstar Data and Analytics).
  • Primary market structure: Competitive vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Weak vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: Fastenal Company has 4 moat types across 2 domains; Morningstar, Inc. has 6 across 3.

Primary market context

Fastenal Company

Core industrial & construction supplies distribution (branches, Onsite, eBusiness excl. FMI)

Market

Wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies (fasteners, safety, tools, and other MRO/OEM consumables)

Geography

Primarily North America (with growing international presence)

Customer

Manufacturing (OEM and MRO), non-residential construction, and other commercial customers

Role

Distributor

Revenue share

55.7%

Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar Data and Analytics

Market

Investment data, research, and analytics platforms

Geography

Global

Revenue share

34.6%

Side-by-side metrics

Fastenal Company
Morningstar, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
FAST - NASDAQ
MORN - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$48.2B
n/a
Gross margin (TTM)
45.2%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
20.2%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
15.3%
n/a
Sector
Industrials
Financials
Industry
Industrial - Distribution
n/a
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Core industrial & construction supplies distribution (branches, Onsite, eBusiness excl. FMI)
Morningstar Data and Analytics
Market structure
Competitive
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Weak
Moderate
Moat score
57 / 100
67 / 100
Moat domains
Supply, Demand
Demand, Network, Legal
Last update
2026-01-06
2026-01-10

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Data Workflow Lockin

Fastenal Company strengths

Service Field NetworkProcurement InertiaOperational Excellence

Morningstar, Inc. strengths

De Facto StandardRegulated Standards PipeSuite BundlingTraining Org Change CostsIP Choke Point

Segment mix

Fastenal Company segments

Full profile >

Fastenal Managed Inventory (FMI)

Competitive

44.3%

Core industrial & construction supplies distribution (branches, Onsite, eBusiness excl. FMI)

Competitive

55.7%

Morningstar, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Morningstar Data and Analytics

Oligopoly

34.6%

PitchBook

Oligopoly

27.2%

Morningstar Credit

Oligopoly

12.8%

Morningstar Wealth

Competitive

10.9%

Morningstar Retirement

Competitive

5.6%

Morningstar Sustainalytics

Oligopoly

5.2%

Morningstar Indexes

Oligopoly

3.7%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

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Looking for expansion-stage stocks?

Proven models entering the expansion stage with unit economics that work.

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Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.