Fastenal Co FAST

Morningstar Rating
$50.75 +0.53 (1.05%)
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Company Report

Wide-Moat Fastenal Uses Natural Operating Leverage to Compound Earnings in the Midteens

Since opening its first fasteners store in 1967, Fastenal has built one of the largest industrial distribution businesses in the United States. For many years, Fastenal’s growth story was driven by its traditional branch distribution system. While this expansive footprint is still an important component of Fastenal’s business model, other strategies—including expanding its product portfolio, its vending and inventory management services, and, most recently, its on-site program—have become increasingly important growth drivers.

Price vs Fair Value

FAST is trading at a LOCK|LHC@#b premium.
Price
$50.23
Fair Value
LOCK|.P
Uncertainty
LOCK|@$H?Y
1-Star Price
LOCK|.d<
5-Star Price
LOCK|.^T$
Economic Moat
LOCK|>Y
Capital Allocation
LOCK|Y>PYXF>

Bulls Say, Bears Say

Bulls

Fastenal measurably reduces its customers’ supply chain costs, an attractive value proposition regardless of the macro environment.

Bears

A continued mix shift toward nonfastener products could dilute the firm’s differentiation and further hamper its gross margin.

News

Trading Information

Previous Close Price
$50.23
Day Range
$50.43–51.04
52-Week Range
$38.97–52.92
Bid/Ask
$50.31 / $50.77
Shares Outstanding
1.15B
Market Cap
$58.24B
Volume/Avg
7M / 8M

Key Statistics

Price/Earnings (Normalized)
42.60
Price/Sales
6.61
Dividend Yield (Trailing)
1.91%
Dividend Yield (Forward)
1.91%
Dividend Payment Schedule
Feb, May, Aug, Nov
Total Yield
1.91%

Company Profile

Fastenal began as an industrial retailer, expanding its product portfolio from nuts and bolts to cutting tools, safety equipment, and janitorial supplies. It transitioned into a distributor by building out a dense network of branches close to its business customers. Once a customer becomes large enough, Fastenal installs vending machines and its own personnel on-site. Today, these on-site locations exceed Fastenal’s branch count and remain the firm’s main focus for expansion. Fastenal acts as a one-stop outsourcing partner for its industrial customers, offering value-added services along with a wide breadth of maintenance, repair, and operations supplies.
Sector
Industrials
Industry
Industrial Distribution
Stock Style Box
Mid Core
Total Number of Employees
24,795

Competitors

Valuation

Metric
FAST
MSM
GWW
Price/Earnings (Normalized)
42.6029.7229.59
Price/Book Value
14.165.0614.61
Price/Sales
6.611.843.23
Price/Cash Flow
37.4919.2022.98
Price/Earnings
FAST
MSM
GWW

Financial Strength

Metric
FAST
MSM
GWW
Quick Ratio
2.000.591.60
Current Ratio
4.181.552.81
Interest Coverage
385.9114.7134.15
Quick Ratio
FAST
MSM
GWW

Profitability

Metric
FAST
MSM
GWW
Return on Assets (Normalized)
26.53%9.78%22.16%
Return on Equity (Normalized)
34.58%17.44%53.36%
Return on Invested Capital (Normalized)
30.83%13.21%29.93%
Return on Assets
FAST
MSM
GWW

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