Fastenal (FAST) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Q: What analysts cover Fastenal?

Fastenal has been rated by research analysts at Barclays , DA Davidson , Morgan Stanley , Robert W. Baird , Rothschild & Co Redburn , Sanford C. Bernstein , Weiss Ratings , William Blair , and Wolfe Research in the past 90 days.

$50.49 +0.66 (+1.32%)

Closing price 04:00 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$49.90 -0.59 (-1.18%)

As of 07:42 PM Eastern

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Fastenal - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Hold

Based on 13 Analyst Ratings

Sell
2

Hold
5

Buy
6

Based on 13 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Fastenal in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold." Out of the 13 analysts, 2 have given a sell rating, 5 have given a hold rating, and 6 have given a buy rating for FAST.

Consensus Price Target

$49.50
-1.96% Downside

According to the 13 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Fastenal, the average price target is $49.50. The highest price target for FAST is $55.00, while the lowest price target for FAST is $42.00. The average price target represents a forecasted downside of -1.96% from the current price of $50.49.

MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.

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FAST Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 10/8/25 to 10/8/26	1 Month Ago 9/8/25 to 9/8/26	3 Months Ago 7/10/25 to 7/10/26	1 Year Ago 10/8/24 to 10/8/25
Strong Buy	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	6 Buy rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)
Hold	5 Hold rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	8 Hold rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)
Sell	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$49.50	$49.17	$47.75	$47.41
Forecasted Upside	-1.96% Downside	-0.43% Downside	2.71% Upside	-0.30% Downside
Consensus Rating	Hold	Hold	Hold	Hold

FAST Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.

FAST Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.

Fastenal Stock vs. The Competition

Type	Fastenal	Industrials Companies	Broader Market
Consensus Rating Score	2.31	2.31	2.52
Consensus Rating	Hold	Hold	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	-1.91% Downside	119.43% Upside	19.84% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Positive News See Recent FAST News	Neutral News	Neutral News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

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Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

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Date	Brokerage	Analyst	Action	Rating	Price Target	Report Date Upside/Downside
9/15/2026	Wolfe Research 4 of 5 stars	Nigel Coe Not Rated	Initiated Coverage	Underperform	$51.00	+3.16%
9/11/2026	Weiss Ratings 3 of 5 stars		Downgrade	Buy (B) ➝ Buy (B-)
9/4/2026	William Blair 3 of 5 stars		Reiterated Rating	Outperform
8/7/2026	Robert W. Baird Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	David Manthey Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target		$54.00	+5.04%
7/16/2026	Morgan Stanley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Chris Snyder Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Equal Weight	$48.00 ➝ $52.00	+12.59%
7/16/2026	Barclays Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Guy Hardwick Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Equal Weight	$47.00 ➝ $46.00	+1.41%
7/15/2026	Sanford C. Bernstein Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Underperform
7/15/2026	DA Davidson Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Chris Dankert Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Neutral	$46.00	+1.77%
7/13/2026	Rothschild & Co Redburn Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	William Blunt Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target	Buy	$55.00	+18.31%
6/4/2026	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Buy
Get the Latest News and Ratings for FAST and Related Stocks Enter your email address below to receive the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fastenal and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter.
4/13/2026	Bank of America Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target		$48.00 ➝ $55.00	+24.18%
4/9/2026	JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Neutral	$46.00 ➝ $47.00	-4.05%
3/5/2026	Raymond James Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Set Target		$48.00	+1.72%
3/5/2026	Benchmark Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Buy
1/21/2026	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Stephen Volkmann Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Neutral	$46.00	+4.33%
8/21/2025	Northcoast Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Initiated Coverage	Neutral
7/15/2025	Loop Capital Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Hold
7/15/2025	Stephens Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Tommy Moll Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Equal Weight	$40.00 ➝ $45.00	-0.16%
7/3/2025	Stifel Nicolaus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Brian Butler Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target		$82.00	+91.63%
12/11/2024	HSBC Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Downgrade	Hold ➝ Reduce	$35.00	-12.25%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Thursday at 10:54 PM ET.

Should I Buy Fastenal Stock? FAST Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Fastenal pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Fastenal
Bull Case

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Fastenal:

Fastenal demonstrated strong fundamental performance in its most recent quarter, reporting revenue of $2.39 billion, which exceeded the consensus estimate of $2.34 billion and represented a 14.7% year-over-year increase, indicating robust demand for its industrial and construction supplies.
The company recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.26 per share, up from the previous $0.24, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of approximately 2.1%, which provides a steady income stream for investors while signaling management confidence in cash flow generation.
Fastenal maintains a highly efficient balance sheet with a debt-to-equity ratio of just 0.01 and a current ratio of 4.18, suggesting the company has minimal leverage and ample liquidity to cover short-term obligations, which reduces financial risk during economic downturns.
The stock recently crossed above its 200-day simple moving average of $47.19, a technical indicator that often signals a shift in long-term momentum, and the company's beta of 0.69 suggests it may offer lower volatility compared to the broader market while still participating in growth.
Fastenal is currently trading at $49.83, which is below its 52-week high of $52.92, potentially offering an entry point for investors who believe the company's 15.45% net margin and 34.03% return on equity justify a premium valuation as it continues to expand its distribution network.

Fastenal
Bear Case

Investors should be bearish about investing in Fastenal for these reasons:

The stock carries a high price-to-earnings ratio of 42.23, which is significantly above the market average, meaning investors are paying a substantial premium for earnings that may not be sustainable if economic conditions slow down or if growth rates decelerate.
Wall Street analysts have assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" with a price target of $49.50, which is slightly below the current stock price of $49.83, suggesting that the stock may be fairly valued or slightly overvalued relative to professional expectations for future performance.
Recent insider activity has been predominantly negative, with directors such as Rita J. Heise and Michael J. Ancius selling significant portions of their holdings in the last few months, which can sometimes signal a lack of confidence in the stock's near-term upside potential.
Several prominent research firms, including Sanford C. Bernstein and Wolfe Research, have issued "underperform" ratings on the stock, reflecting concerns that the current valuation does not adequately account for potential headwinds in the industrial sector or competitive pressures.
Short interest in the stock has been rising, with shares shorted increasing to 35.65 million as of the latest record date, indicating that a growing number of traders are betting against the stock's price appreciation, which could lead to increased volatility or downward pressure.

FAST Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 13 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Fastenal is $49.50, with a high forecast of $55.00 and a low forecast of $42.00.

13 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Fastenal in the last year. There are currently 2 sell ratings, 5 hold ratings and 6 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "hold" FAST shares. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in FAST, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.

According to analysts, Fastenal's stock has a predicted downside of -1.96% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Fastenal's stock had 2 downgrades and 1 upgrade by analysts.

Fastenal has been rated by research analysts at Barclays, DA Davidson, Morgan Stanley, Robert W. Baird, Rothschild & Co Redburn, Sanford C. Bernstein, Weiss Ratings, William Blair, and Wolfe Research in the past 90 days.

Analysts like Fastenal less than other "industrials" companies. The consensus rating score for Fastenal is 2.31 while the average consensus rating score for "industrials" companies is 2.31. Learn more on how FAST compares to other companies.

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MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Fastenal analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 9/15/2026.

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Fastenal (FAST) Stock Forecast & Price Target