Fastenal Co FAST

Morningstar Rating
$71.38 +0.29 (0.41%)
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Company Report

Fastenal's Growth Initiatives Continue to Bear Fruit in a Challenging Operating Environment

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 branch count, which now stands at roughly 1,600 locations. 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 within a range we consider fairly valued.
Price
$71.38
Fair Value
$41.00
Uncertainty
Medium
1-Star Price
$88.31
5-Star Price
$67.40
Economic Moat
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Capital Allocation
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Bulls Say, Bears Say

Bulls

Vending and on-site programs should provide a long growth runway for Fastenal.

Bears

Fastenal could continue to face gross margin headwinds as nonfastener sales, national accounts, and on-site programs become a larger part of its business. A continued mix shift toward nonfasteners could also dilute the firm’s differentiation.

News

Trading Information

Previous Close Price
$71.09
Day Range
$70.5571.49
52-Week Range
$53.9479.04
Bid/Ask
$70.10 / $71.39
Market Cap
$40.88 Bil
Volume/Avg
1.5 Mil / 2.6 Mil

Key Statistics

Price/Earnings (Normalized)
35.63
Price/Sales
5.52
Dividend Yield (Trailing)
2.13%
Dividend Yield (Forward)
2.19%
Total Yield
2.13%

Company Profile

Fastenal opened its first fastener store in 1967 in Winona, Minnesota. Since then, it has greatly expanded its footprint as well as its products and services. Today, Fastenal serves its 400,000 active customers through approximately 1,600 branches, over 1,800 on-site locations, and 15 distribution centers. Since 1993, the company has added other product categories, but fasteners remain its largest category at about 30%-35% of sales. Fastenal also offers customers supply chain solutions, such as vending and vendor-managed inventory.
Sector
Industrials
Industry
Industrial Distribution
Stock Style Box
Mid Core
Total Number of Employees
23,201

Competitors

Valuation

Metric
FAST
GWW
MSM
Price/Earnings (Normalized)
35.6328.0015.59
Price/Book Value
11.6915.493.38
Price/Sales
5.523.071.22
Price/Cash Flow
31.0022.0811.62
Price/Earnings
FAST
GWW
MSM

Financial Strength

Metric
FAST
GWW
MSM
Quick Ratio
2.041.300.76
Current Ratio
4.392.302.08
Interest Coverage
194.5629.8817.05
Quick Ratio
FAST
GWW
MSM

Profitability

Metric
FAST
GWW
MSM
Return on Assets (Normalized)
25.37%23.64%12.17%
Return on Equity (Normalized)
33.74%62.16%21.36%
Return on Invested Capital (Normalized)
29.19%32.57%16.07%
Return on Assets
FAST
GWW
MSM

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