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.

$49.01 -0.17 (-0.35%)

Closing price 04:00 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$49.66 +0.65 (+1.32%)

As of 07:59 PM Eastern

Compare

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
1.00% Upside

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 upside of 1.00% from the current price of $49.01.

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.

Get the Latest News and Ratings for FAST and Related Stocks

Enter your email address to receive the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fastenal and its competitors.

SMS is currently available in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. By entering your phone number and clicking the sign-up button, you agree to receive periodic text messages from MarketBeat at the phone number you submitted, including texts that may be sent using an automatic telephone dialing system. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency will vary. Messages will consist of stock alerts, news stories, and partner advertisements/offers. Consent is not a condition of the purchase of any goods or services. Text HELP for help/customer support. Unsubscribe at any time by replying "STOP" to any text message that you receive from MarketBeat or by visiting our mailing preferences page. Read our full terms of service and privacy policy.

FAST Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 9/18/25 to 9/18/26	1 Month Ago 8/19/25 to 8/19/26	3 Months Ago 6/20/25 to 6/20/26	1 Year Ago 9/18/24 to 9/18/25
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)	5 Buy rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)
Hold	5 Hold rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	8 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	$49.57	$46.82
Forecasted Upside	1.00% Upside	-4.42% Downside	7.98% Upside	-0.85% 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	2.30	2.53
Consensus Rating	Hold	Hold	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	1.00% Upside	102.39% Upside	18.43% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Positive News See Recent FAST News	Positive News	Positive News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

Time Frame

Start Date

End Date

Show

Export

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 5 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 Friday at 08:24 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 Tuesday, September 15, 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 maintains a highly efficient balance sheet with a debt-to-equity ratio of just 0.01 and a current ratio of 4.18, which provides significant financial stability and liquidity to navigate economic fluctuations without the burden of high leverage.
Fastenal offers a dividend yield of 2.11%, providing income-oriented investors with a steady cash flow return while the stock trades at a current price of $49.41, which is below its 52-week high of $52.92.
With a beta of 0.72, the stock exhibits lower volatility compared to the broader market, making it a potentially defensive holding that may experience less dramatic price swings during periods of market uncertainty.
Recent institutional activity shows continued interest, with major funds like Baird Financial Group and Amundi increasing their positions in the second quarter, suggesting that large investors remain confident in the company's long-term distribution model and market position.

Fastenal
Bear Case

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

The stock carries a high price-to-earnings ratio of 41.87, which suggests that the market is pricing in significant future growth that may be difficult to sustain, especially given that the consensus rating from analysts remains a neutral "Hold."
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 July and August 2026, which can signal a lack of confidence from those closest to the company's operations.
Several prominent research firms, including Wolfe Research and Sanford C. Bernstein, have reiterated "underperform" ratings on the stock, with Wolfe Research setting a price target of $51.00 that offers only minimal upside from the current trading levels.
Short interest in the stock has been rising, with shares shorted increasing to over 34.6 million in the most recent reporting period, indicating that a growing number of traders are betting against the stock's future performance.
Despite strong revenue growth, the company's earnings per share of $0.33 in the latest quarter only met consensus estimates, suggesting that operational costs or other factors may be limiting the translation of top-line growth into bottom-line profit improvements.

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 upside of 1.00% 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 more than other "industrials" companies. The consensus rating score for Fastenal is 2.31 while the average consensus rating score for "industrials" companies is 2.30. Learn more on how FAST compares to other companies.

Stock Forecasts and Research Tools

Related Companies

Today's Analyst Ratings

Top-Rated Stocks

More Ratings Tools

Brokerages With Fastenal Recommendations

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

From Our Partners

Unlock superior investment research and tools.

Get MarketBeat All Access

In-depth profiles and analysis for 20,000 public companies.
Real-time analyst ratings, insider transactions, earnings data, and more.
Our daily ratings and market update email newsletter.

Sign In
Create Account

Your Email Address:

Your Password:

Forgot your password?

Your Email Address:

Choose a Password:

By creating a free account, you agree to our terms of service. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Fastenal (FAST) Stock Forecast & Price Target