Wolfe Research Cuts Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Price Target to $45.00

17 Apr 2026, 06:38 by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets Daily

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST – Free Report) had its price target reduced by Wolfe Research from $46.00 to $45.00 in a report released on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. Wolfe Research currently has an underperform rating on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on FAST. Morgan Stanley reiterated a “positive” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Fastenal in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Fastenal and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Raymond James Financial set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Fastenal in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Fastenal from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $42.00 price target on shares of Fastenal in a report on Tuesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Fastenal has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.77.

View Our Latest Analysis on FAST

Fastenal Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of FAST opened at $44.72 on Tuesday. Fastenal has a 1-year low of $38.97 and a 1-year high of $50.63. The company has a 50-day moving average of $45.97 and a 200 day moving average of $43.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.23, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 2.41.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 13th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30. Fastenal had a net margin of 15.39% and a return on equity of 33.25%. The company had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Fastenal will post 2.15 EPS for the current year.

Fastenal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 28th will be issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 28th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Fastenal’s payout ratio is currently 84.21%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Scott Satterlee sold 15,964 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.19, for a total value of $705,449.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 50,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,209,500. The trade was a 24.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Reyne K. Wisecup sold 36,920 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.34, for a total transaction of $1,747,792.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 40,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,893,600. This represents a 48.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Fastenal by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 151,515,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,430,322,000 after buying an additional 2,346,045 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its position in Fastenal by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,558,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,433,000 after purchasing an additional 53,888 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Fastenal by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,713,469 shares of the company’s stock worth $181,626,000 after purchasing an additional 219,154 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Fastenal by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,387,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $362,282,000 after purchasing an additional 90,095 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Fastenal during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $634,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.38% of the company’s stock.

About Fastenal

(Get Free Report)

Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) is a wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, best known for its broad assortment of fasteners such as bolts, nuts, screws and anchors. Founded in Winona, Minnesota, Fastenal has grown from a regional supplier into a national and international distributor serving a wide range of end markets, including manufacturing, construction, maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), and government customers. The company is publicly traded and operates through a network of locally staffed branches combined with national distribution capabilities.