Fastenal Company (FAST) AI Stock Analysis

Established in 1967 and headquartered in Winona, Minnesota, Fastenal Company specializes in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and globally. Under the Fastenal brand, the company distributes fasteners and related products such as threaded fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, washers, pins, concrete anchors, wire ropes, and rivets. Fastenal serves manufacturing entities, original equipment manufacturers, maintenance, repair, and operations customers, and non-residential construction contractors. In addition, it supplies operations in agriculture, transportation, mining, education, retail, government, and oil exploration, production, and refinement.

From FY2021 to FY2025, Fastenal grew annual revenue from $6.01B to $8.20B, reflecting a 5-year revenue CAGR of 7.7%. Annual net income expanded from $925.0M in FY2021 to $1.26B in FY2025, with EPS advancing from $0.81 to $1.10. Operating margin remained steady across the period, moving from 20.3% in FY2021 to 20.2% in FY2025, while gross margin shifted from 46.2% to 45.0%. Over the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2026, revenue stood at $9.08B with net income yielding an EPS of $1.23. In the latest quarter, quarterly revenue growth accelerated to 15.5% year-over-year, and quarterly earnings grew 20.7%.

As of September 30, 2026, Fastenal held $211.9M in cash and short-term investments alongside $451.7M in total debt, resulting in net debt of $239.8M. The company maintains a current ratio of 3.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11 against $4.15B in shareholders' equity. In FY2025, operating cash flow reached $1.30B, funding $245.3M in capital expenditures to generate $1.05B in free cash flow. Cash returned to shareholders in FY2025 included $1.00B in dividends paid, while the 5-year share count change was -0.5%.

Fastenal trades at a trailing P/E of 41.5x and a forward P/E of 37.5x, compared to 28.5x and 22.2x, respectively, for the median of its Nasdaq-100 Industrials peers. The company's EV/EBITDA of 30.0x and price-to-sales ratio of 6.4x also trade above peer medians of 19.9x and 6.1x. Its PEG ratio stands at 3.39. Fastenal's stock closed at $51.02 on October 16, 2026, delivering a 1-year return of 24.2% and a 5-year return of 106.5%, outperforming the S&P 500 (SPY) returns of 16.8% and 83.0% over those same intervals.

Fastenal pays a quarterly dividend with a forward annualized payout of $1.04 per share, translating to a dividend yield of 2.04%. The company has paid consecutive dividends for 37 years and holds a 5-year annualized dividend growth rate of 4.6%. For FY2025, its dividend payout ratio stood at 65.4%, and the latest ex-dividend date was October 28, 2026.

Wall Street coverage includes 6 Strong Buy, 0 Buy, 7 Hold, 3 Sell, and 2 Strong Sell ratings. The mean price target is $51.07, representing an upside of 0.1% over the last close of $51.02. For the current fiscal year ending December 31, 2026, consensus estimates project revenue of $9.32B and EPS of $1.27, representing 16.4% earnings growth. Over the last 4 quarters, Fastenal has exceeded EPS estimates 1 time.

This page is an AI-written research summary of Fastenal Company (FAST). The text was generated on October 30, 2026 from Quotelinks data as of October 16, 2026 (company profile, annual results, latest balance sheet, valuation, price performance and analyst estimates). An automatic check rejects any draft that contains a figure not found in that data. It is not investment advice; verify figures on the linked tabs before making decisions.

Related: FAST income statement, FAST balance sheet, FAST key metrics, FAST analyst forecast, FAST chart. See the FAST stock overview for the latest quote and news.