William Blair Decreases Earnings Estimates for Fastenal

Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) – Analysts at William Blair reduced their FY2025 EPS estimates for shares of Fastenal in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, November 6th. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now expects that the company will earn $1.10 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $1.11. The consensus estimate for Fastenal’s current full-year earnings is $2.15 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Fastenal’s FY2026 earnings at $1.22 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.33 EPS.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 13th. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.01). Fastenal had a return on equity of 32.69% and a net margin of 15.34%.The company had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.26 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Fastenal in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Fastenal from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Fastenal in a research report on Tuesday. They set an “underperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of Fastenal in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Fastenal presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.50.

Fastenal Trading Down 0.2%

NASDAQ FAST opened at $41.26 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $47.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.92. Fastenal has a twelve month low of $35.31 and a twelve month high of $50.63. The company has a quick ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 4.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The business’s fifty day moving average is $45.25 and its 200 day moving average is $44.42.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FAST. Riverview Trust Co increased its holdings in Fastenal by 100.0% in the second quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 584 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Fastenal during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Fastenal by 111.9% in the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fastenal during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Fastenal by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 696 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the period. 81.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP William Joseph Drazkowski sold 6,842 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.67, for a total value of $333,000.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,747.98. This represents a 36.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Hsenghung Sam Hsu bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $42.45 per share, with a total value of $42,450.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 9,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $382,050. The trade was a 12.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Fastenal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 28th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Fastenal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.24%.

About Fastenal

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.