Equities Analysts Set Expectations for Fastenal Q3 Earnings

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for Fastenal in a note issued to investors on Thursday, May 1st. Zacks Research analyst S. Mukherjee now expects that the company will earn $0.63 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.60. The consensus estimate for Fastenal's current full-year earnings is $2.15 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Fastenal's Q1 2027 earnings at $0.62 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.61 EPS.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.52. Fastenal had a net margin of 15.25% and a return on equity of 32.55%. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.52 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on FAST. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Fastenal from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Fastenal from $80.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. William Blair raised Fastenal from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Stephens increased their target price on Fastenal from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Fastenal from $86.00 to $82.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Fastenal currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $79.10.

Fastenal Price Performance

Shares of FAST stock traded up $1.41 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $82.12. 2,679,279 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,104,272. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $77.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.22. The firm has a market cap of $47.11 billion, a PE ratio of 40.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 4.67 and a quick ratio of 2.28. Fastenal has a 1-year low of $61.36 and a 1-year high of $84.88.

Fastenal's stock is set to split on the morning of Thursday, May 22nd. The 2-1 split was announced on Wednesday, April 23rd. The newly issued shares will be distributed to shareholders after the closing bell on Wednesday, May 21st.

Fastenal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. This is an increase from Fastenal's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Fastenal's payout ratio is currently 87.56%.

Insider Activity at Fastenal

In related news, EVP Anthony Paul Broersma sold 5,568 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.19, for a total value of $452,065.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Daniel L. Florness sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total transaction of $4,106,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 282,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,200,378.16. This represents a 15.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 70,568 shares of company stock worth $5,777,716. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Fastenal

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FAST. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Fastenal by 6.9% during the third quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,170 shares of the company's stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its position in Fastenal by 56.0% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 3,999 shares of the company's stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 1,435 shares in the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co raised its holdings in Fastenal by 5.4% in the third quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 6,412 shares of the company's stock valued at $458,000 after buying an additional 327 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Fastenal in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,038,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in Fastenal by 5.1% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 33,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,374,000 after buying an additional 1,599 shares in the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fastenal Company Profile

Fastenal Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, North America, and internationally. It offers fasteners, and related industrial and construction supplies under the Fastenal name. The company's fastener products include threaded fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related washers that are used in manufactured products and construction projects, as well as in the maintenance and repair of machines.