Fastenal Co. (FAST)
Fastenal Q3: The Math Behind My Sell Rating
Fastenal Company remains a high-quality compounder, but current valuation—~40x earnings—makes the stock unattractive for new investment. Q3 results were strong: daily sales up 15.5% YoY, expanding customer sites, and improved operating margin despite gross margin headwinds. Digital adoption and managed inventory solutions are driving market share gains and operating leverage, offsetting some margin pressure.
Fastenal Flashes Bullish Signal as Uptrend Holds Despite Margin Pressure
Fastenal NASDAQ: FAST had a good Q3, but raised concerns about margin compression. Investors should not get this wrong: the slim gross margin contraction is primarily due to customer mix, with some additional price-cost pressure, and is offset by several factors.
A Guaranteed 1.73% or a Growing Dividend? The Choice Facing Income Investors
A bank will lock in your rate and hand back every dollar at maturity, while an industrial distributor has raised its quarterly payout three times in the past year alone.
Fastenal: I See No Reason To Pay A Higher Premium
Fastenal remains a fundamentally strong, well-run industrial distributor with robust growth and a solid balance sheet. Current valuation is excessive, with FAST trading at a P/E near 42x and P/FCF over 50x, far above historical norms. Despite strong performance, the risk of valuation normalization poses a significant downside for recent investors.
Fastenal Q3 Earnings Call Highlights
Fastenal NASDAQ: FAST reported third-quarter 2026 sales growth of 15.5% and operating-margin expansion, as the industrial distributor cited market-share gains with larger customers, new contract wins and increased use of technology-enabled supply-chain services.
Fastenal quarterly profit rises 20% as manufacturing demand and major customer sales grow
Fastenal Co (NASDAQ:FAST), the industrial supplies distributor, saw third-quarter net income rise by 20% to $401.6 million as stronger manufacturing demand and gains with larger customers lifted sales. Revenue rose 15.5% to $2.46 billion in the three months to September 30, while diluted earnings per share increased 21% to $0.35.
Fastenal Q3 Earnings Beat on Expense Leverage, Sales Miss Estimates
FAST's earnings beat estimates as expense leverage lifted margins, while contract wins and pricing boosted sales growth despite a revenue miss.
Fastenal (FAST) Beats Q3 Earnings Estimates
Fastenal (FAST) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.35 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.34 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.29 per share a year ago.
Fastenal Profit Up as Spending Climbs
The fastener-and-tool distributor posted third-quarter profit of $401.6 million, or 35 cents a share, compared with $335.5 million, or 29 cents a share, a year earlier.
Here's What You Must Know Ahead of Fastenal's Q3 Earnings Release
FAST heads into Q3 earnings with sales growth expectations of 16.6%, driven by industrial demand, customer wins and digital initiatives, while cost pressures remain.
Fastenal Q3 Preview: Expecting Operational Results To Justify Rich Valuation
Fastenal will release its Q3 on October 14. Ahead of the print, shares have performed strongly, with YTD gains of nearly 30% and a rise of 6% over the past year. At 40x forward earnings, shares appear to be trading at a rich premium, in my view.
All You Need to Know About Fastenal (FAST) Rating Upgrade to Buy
Fastenal (FAST) might move higher on growing optimism about its earnings prospects, which is reflected by its upgrade to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
