Fastenal Company FAST
Stock research in plain language · As of Oct 04, 2026 · updated once a week, after the trading week closes
What the company does
Fastenal Company is a large-cap company in the Industrials sector (Industrial Distribution), with a market value of $58.2B, based in the USA.
It employs about 22,230 people and has been listed since Mar 26, 1990.
Fastenal Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, 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.
Cheap or expensive? relatively expensive
Its price-to-earnings (P/E) is 43.4 versus 29.0 for the median of the Industrials sector in our universe (21 companies) — relatively expensive.
Revenue is growing 15% versus the same quarter last year.
On analysts' next-year forecasts the multiple drops to 37.5 — they expect higher earnings.
The average analyst price target is 48.84, 4% below the current price (their view, not ours).
The stock sits at 85% of its one-year range (0% = the low, 100% = the high).
The risks
- • Quarterly report in 10 days (2026-10-14) — a day the stock can move a lot.
Strengths
- ✅ Profitable — 16 of every 100 dollars of revenue stays as profit.
- ✅ Generates free cash flow — profit becomes cash in the bank.
- ✅ Pays a dividend (1.8% a year).
What changed this week
Over the past week the stock rose 0.6% (for comparison: S&P 500 -0.2%, sector ETF XLI -0.3%).
This week's news
- Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review 2026 Third Quarter Earnings finance.yahoo.com · 2026-09-28
A description of facts from the filings and the market — not investment advice or a recommendation. "Cheap" and "expensive" are always relative to the comparison group.