Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Shares Down 4% – What’s Next?
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyFastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST – Get Free Report) was down 4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $47.68 and last traded at $47.2250. Approximately 2,612,852 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 8,535,407 shares. The stock had previously closed at $49.17.
Key Stories Impacting Fastenal
Here are the key news stories impacting Fastenal this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Sales growth and contract/pricing wins — Fastenal reported net sales of ~$2.20B, up ~12% YoY, driven by contract wins and pricing, which supports longer-term cash flow and capital returns. Fastenal 1Q Sales Jump on Pricing, Contract Wins
- Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst actions — Bank of America raised its price target to $55 (largest upside among recent actions) and Robert W. Baird keeps an outperform stance with a $50 target, offering potential upside relative to current levels. BofA Raises PT to $55
- Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained/increased cash returns — Fastenal announced the upcoming quarterly dividend, supporting income investors and signaling confidence in cash generation.
- Neutral Sentiment: Results essentially in-line — GAAP EPS of $0.30 met consensus and revenue slightly beat estimates; that removes a downside surprise but offers limited upside catalyst on its own. Zacks: Q1 Earnings Meet Estimates
- Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript — Management acknowledged steady ramp in business since last summer but provided a cautious near-term tone; read the transcript for Q&A detail. Earnings Call Transcript
- Negative Sentiment: Margin squeeze from tariffs and energy — Management said tariff and energy-related supplier cost increases are outpacing the company’s ability to pass through prices, pressuring gross margins. Fastenal Sees Pricing Challenges
- Negative Sentiment: Higher capex and Q2 caution — Fastenal reiterated elevated 2026 capex (~$310–$330M or ~\$320M in some reports) and flagged Q2 as potentially challenging, which can limit near-term free cash flow and margin expansion. Seeking Alpha: CapEx and Q2 Outlook
- Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and downgrades — The stock sold off sharply after the print (near-term drop and elevated price surprise metrics), and Wolfe Research moved to an “underperform” with a lower $45 target, adding selling pressure. Barchart: Sold Off on Q1 Wolfe Lowers PT to $45
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research analysts have issued reports on FAST shares. Bank of America upped their price target on Fastenal from $48.00 to $55.00 in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Fastenal from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Raymond James Financial set a $48.00 price target on Fastenal in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Fastenal in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Fastenal in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.69.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Fastenal
Fastenal Stock Performance
The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.41 and a current ratio of 4.39. The company has a market capitalization of $51.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.84.
Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 13th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.52 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Fastenal Company will post 2.15 EPS for the current year.
Fastenal Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 28th. Fastenal’s payout ratio is 87.27%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Fastenal
In other Fastenal news, Director Scott Satterlee sold 15,964 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.19, for a total transaction of $705,449.16. Following the sale, the director directly owned 50,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,209,500. The trade was a 24.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Reyne K. Wisecup sold 36,920 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director directly owned 40,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,893,600. This trade represents a 48.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fastenal
A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Fastenal by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 187,824 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,537,000 after acquiring an additional 29,189 shares during the last quarter. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fastenal in the fourth quarter worth $901,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Fastenal by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 627,063 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,171,000 after acquiring an additional 25,360 shares during the last quarter. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Fastenal in the fourth quarter worth $64,000. Finally, Bayban acquired a new position in shares of Fastenal in the fourth quarter worth $426,000. 81.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Fastenal
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.
Product offerings extend beyond fasteners to include tools, safety and personal protective equipment, power transmission components, cutting and welding supplies, janitorial and material handling items, and other industrial consumables.