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U.S. Trade Companies and Distributors Industry Analysis

UpdatedMar 12, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies63
  • 7D-5.3%
  • 3M1.3%
  • 1Y23.1%
  • YTDn/a

Over the last 7 days, the Trade Companies and Distributors industry has dropped 5.3%, driven by United Rentals declining 8.4%. Over the past 12 months, the industry was up 23%. Looking forward, earnings are forecast to grow by 11% annually.

Industry Valuation and Performance

Has the U.S. Trade Companies and Distributors Industry valuation changed over the past few years?

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Thu, 12 Mar 2026US$375.1bUS$200.5bUS$16.4b21x22.8x1.9x
Sat, 07 Feb 2026US$374.2bUS$186.7bUS$15.3b24.7x24.5x2x
Mon, 05 Jan 2026US$330.0bUS$183.2bUS$15.2b20.5x21.8x1.8x
Wed, 03 Dec 2025US$324.2bUS$182.8bUS$15.1b19.4x21.5x1.8x
Fri, 31 Oct 2025US$332.4bUS$181.8bUS$15.5b21.9x21.5x1.8x
Sun, 28 Sep 2025US$343.3bUS$179.7bUS$14.8b22.7x23.2x1.9x
Tue, 26 Aug 2025US$358.1bUS$184.6bUS$14.7b23.6x24.4x1.9x
Thu, 24 Jul 2025US$341.2bUS$181.4bUS$13.8b20.4x24.7x1.9x
Sat, 21 Jun 2025US$315.3bUS$181.2bUS$13.8b19.6x22.9x1.7x
Mon, 19 May 2025US$316.4bUS$181.6bUS$14.1b20.2x22.4x1.7x
Wed, 16 Apr 2025US$295.0bUS$191.2bUS$14.2b18.4x20.7x1.5x
Fri, 14 Mar 2025US$285.1bUS$191.1bUS$14.4b17.8x19.9x1.5x
Sun, 09 Feb 2025US$311.1bUS$190.2bUS$15.3b19x20.3x1.6x
Tue, 07 Jan 2025US$302.8bUS$189.4bUS$15.3b16.9x19.9x1.6x
Thu, 05 Dec 2024US$349.4bUS$189.4bUS$15.3b18.1x22.8x1.8x
Sat, 02 Nov 2024US$317.7bUS$191.3bUS$15.4b15.5x20.6x1.7x
Mon, 30 Sep 2024US$311.9bUS$190.9bUS$15.7b14.5x19.9x1.6x
Wed, 28 Aug 2024US$305.4bUS$190.6bUS$15.9b17.1x19.2x1.6x
Fri, 26 Jul 2024US$298.9bUS$190.1bUS$15.9b17.8x18.8x1.6x
Sun, 23 Jun 2024US$285.2bUS$189.9bUS$15.9b15.6x17.9x1.5x
Tue, 21 May 2024US$303.1bUS$189.5bUS$15.8b17.4x19.2x1.6x
Thu, 18 Apr 2024US$294.9bUS$188.6bUS$15.8b17.6x18.7x1.6x
Sat, 16 Mar 2024US$303.0bUS$188.4bUS$15.8b16.4x19.2x1.6x
Mon, 12 Feb 2024US$298.4bUS$188.6bUS$15.5b16.8x19.2x1.6x
Wed, 10 Jan 2024US$283.5bUS$206.5bUS$16.7b14.6x17x1.4x
Fri, 08 Dec 2023US$265.2bUS$205.3bUS$16.8b13.5x15.8x1.3x
Sun, 05 Nov 2023US$250.8bUS$205.2bUS$16.8b12x14.9x1.2x
Tue, 03 Oct 2023US$247.9bUS$203.7bUS$16.6b11.9x14.9x1.2x
Thu, 31 Aug 2023US$256.8bUS$203.7bUS$16.6b13x15.4x1.3x
Sat, 29 Jul 2023US$254.5bUS$204.2bUS$16.8b13.7x15.1x1.2x
Mon, 26 Jun 2023US$245.1bUS$202.4bUS$16.5b13.2x14.8x1.2x
Wed, 24 May 2023US$225.3bUS$202.0bUS$16.8b12.1x13.4x1.1x
Fri, 21 Apr 2023US$227.1bUS$200.6bUS$14.0b12.9x16.2x1.1x
Sun, 19 Mar 2023US$214.2bUS$199.4bUS$14.0b12.1x15.3x1.1x
Price to Earnings Ratio

15.3x


Total Market Cap: US$214.2bTotal Earnings: US$14.0bTotal Revenue: US$199.4bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.S. Trade Companies and Distributors Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 19.4x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are optimistic on the American Trading Companies and Distributors industry, and appear confident in long term growth rates.
  • The industry is trading at a PE ratio of 22.8x which is higher than its 3-year average PE of 19.4x.
  • The 3-year average PS ratio of 1.6x is lower than the industry's current PS ratio of 1.9x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Trading Companies and Distributors industry have grown 5.4% per year over the last three years, while revenues have remained mostly flat.
  • This means that companies overall are more efficiently conducting business since profits are increasing while sales have been flat.

Industry Comparison

How does U.S. Trade Companies and Distributors compare with similar industries?

US Market-1.47%
Industrials-3.72%
Trade Distributors-5.33%
Trade Companies and Distributors-5.33%
Industry PEThere are no additional sub-industries under this industry.
Forecasted GrowthThere are no additional sub-industries under this industry.

Top Stock Gainers and Losers

Which companies have driven the market over the last 7 days?

CompanyLast Price7D1YValuation
FAST FastenalUS$46.590.3%
+US$183.7m		22.6%PE42.5x
NPT Texxon HoldingUS$17.2816.0%
+US$52.8m		n/aPS0.5x
MSM MSC Industrial DirectUS$92.441.0%
+US$50.2m		21.4%PE25.2x
CAPS Capstone HoldingUS$0.648.1%
+US$436.2k		-78.7%PS0.1x
IPW iPowerUS$2.207.8%
+US$211.6k		-85.9%PS0.06x

Latest News

GWW
US$1,110.49
W.W. Grainger
7D
-3.3%
1Y
14.7%
CAPS
US$0.64
Capstone Holding
7D
8.1%
1Y
-78.7%
FAST
US$46.59
Fastenal
7D
0.3%
1Y
22.6%

FAST: Future Returns Will Depend On Margin Resilience And Execution Consistency

We are nudging our Fastenal fair value estimate up to $44.92 from $43.46, reflecting analysts' slightly higher price targets and updated assumptions around discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin, and future P/E. Analyst Commentary Recent Street research on Fastenal reflects a mix of optimism and caution, with several price target revisions feeding into our refreshed fair value estimate.
QXO
US$21.12
QXO
7D
-9.2%
1Y
67.9%

QXO aims for $24B revenue by 2031 with AI-driven margin expansion (Priced for good execution)

Target Entry Point: Under $17 QXO represents a disciplined M&A consolidation play in the $800B building products distribution market, led by Brad Jacobs — the most proven serial acquirer in modern industrial history (300x cumulative returns across four prior platforms, ~500 acquisitions). The company has built a $1B+ EBITDA run-rate in under 10 months by acquiring Beacon Roofing Supply ($11B) and Kodiak Building Partners ($2.25B), creating the largest publicly traded building products distributor in North America.
WSO
US$374.09
Watsco
7D
-7.6%
1Y
-25.8%

WSO: Peer Repricing And Higher Dividend Will Support Fuller Future P/E Multiple

Analysts have raised their price targets on Watsco to a range of about $400 to $425, citing higher peer valuations and updated assumptions on discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E in their models. Analyst Commentary Recent research updates on Watsco highlight a mix of views, with some price targets raised into the $400 to $425 range and others trimmed.
AER
US$141.02
AerCap Holdings
7D
-5.9%
1Y
45.2%

AER: Benign Credit Conditions And Capital Deployment Will Shape Future Returns

Narrative Update The updated analyst price target for AerCap Holdings moves to about $162 from roughly $161, with analysts citing refreshed models after recent results and outlook commentary as the key drivers behind the change. Analyst Commentary Recent research updates on AerCap Holdings focus on refreshed models following Q4 results and updated outlooks, which have fed directly into higher valuation targets across multiple firms.
WCC
US$265.27
WESCO International
7D
-7.4%
1Y
62.0%
SUNB
US$71.22
Sunbelt Rentals Holdings
7D
-5.4%
1Y
26.2%

Infrastructure And Specialty Shift Will Support A Steady Long Term Outlook

Catalysts About Sunbelt Rentals Holdings Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, through the Sunbelt Rentals brand, provides equipment rental solutions across general construction, specialty end markets and non construction applications primarily in North America and the U.K. What are the underlying business or industry changes driving this perspective? Ongoing mega project and infrastructure activity, alongside a growing funnel of future projects and strong win rates with regional and national accounts, points to a sustained base of large contract work that can support equipment utilization and revenue mix on multi year timelines, with potential to support earnings through long project durations.
FERG
US$231.63
Ferguson Enterprises
7D
-6.3%
1Y
48.7%
URI
US$780.57
United Rentals
7D
-8.4%
1Y
28.1%

URI: Infrastructure And Data Center Demand Will Support Future Upside Despite Model Resets

Analysts have trimmed their price target for United Rentals by about $18 to align with slightly lower fair value estimates, modestly softer assumptions for revenue growth and profit margins, and a reduced future P/E, following a series of recent target cuts across multiple research firms. Analyst Commentary Recent research updates on United Rentals show a tight cluster of price target changes, with most firms trimming their targets and one raising them, as analysts recalibrate their assumptions on growth, profitability, and what they are willing to pay on a P/E basis.
MSM
US$92.44
MSC Industrial Direct
7D
1.0%
1Y
21.4%

MSM: Future Returns Will Reflect Neutral Stance After Downgrade And Model Reset

Analysts have trimmed their average price target on MSC Industrial Direct by $4 to $94. They cited refreshed models after recent Q1 results and a downgrade that reflects slightly adjusted assumptions for growth, margins and future P/E multiples.
IPW
US$2.20
iPower
7D
7.8%
1Y
-85.9%
NPT
US$17.28
Texxon Holding
7D
16.0%
1Y
n/a