FY2025 EPS Estimates for Fastenal Reduced by Analyst (NASDAQ:FAST)

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) – Stock analysts at William Blair decreased their FY2025 earnings estimates for shares of Fastenal in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, May 6th. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $2.31 for the year, down from their prior estimate of $2.32. The consensus estimate for Fastenal’s current full-year earnings is $2.12 per share.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.01). Fastenal had a return on equity of 33.98% and a net margin of 15.68%. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on FAST. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Fastenal from $71.00 to $69.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. HSBC boosted their price objective on Fastenal from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Fastenal from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price target on Fastenal from $71.00 to $66.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.33.

Fastenal Stock Performance

Fastenal stock opened at $66.78 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 4.83, a quick ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $72.87 and a 200-day moving average of $67.29. The stock has a market cap of $38.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.07. Fastenal has a 52 week low of $52.86 and a 52 week high of $79.04.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fastenal

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 3.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,830,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $751,780,000 after buying an additional 423,112 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 4.1% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,582,669 shares of the company’s stock worth $468,957,000 after acquiring an additional 337,168 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Fastenal by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,928,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $513,510,000 after purchasing an additional 1,043,529 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Fastenal by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,444,498 shares of the company’s stock worth $406,767,000 after purchasing an additional 413,572 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Fastenal by 16.5% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,745,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $368,563,000 after purchasing an additional 957,091 shares in the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jeffery Michael Watts sold 19,420 shares of Fastenal stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.25, for a total transaction of $1,364,255.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 5,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $417,285. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Jeffery Michael Watts sold 19,420 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.25, for a total value of $1,364,255.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $417,285. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Charles S. Miller sold 11,076 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.16, for a total transaction of $832,472.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Fastenal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 25th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 24th. Fastenal’s payout ratio is 77.23%.

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.