Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Price Target Lowered to $45.00 at Wolfe Research

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) had its price objective reduced by Wolfe Research from $46.00 to $45.00 in a research note published on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. They currently have an underperform rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Raymond James Financial set a $48.00 target price on Fastenal in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $42.00 target price on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $52.00 target price on Fastenal and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $46.00 target price on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.69.

Fastenal Trading Down 2.6%

NASDAQ:FAST opened at $44.62 on Tuesday. Fastenal has a fifty-two week low of $38.97 and a fifty-two week high of $50.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 2.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.24 billion, a PE ratio of 39.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.84. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.73.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 13th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.30. Fastenal had a return on equity of 33.25% and a net margin of 15.39%.The business had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. Fastenal’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Fastenal will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fastenal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 28th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 28th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Fastenal’s payout ratio is presently 87.27%.

Insider Activity at Fastenal

In other Fastenal news, Director Reyne K. Wisecup sold 36,920 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.34, for a total transaction of $1,747,792.80. Following the transaction, the director owned 40,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,893,600. The trade was a 48.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Scott Satterlee sold 15,964 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.19, for a total value of $705,449.16. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 50,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,209,500. This trade represents a 24.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FAST. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 151,515,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,430,322,000 after acquiring an additional 2,346,045 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 54,734,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,196,502,000 after acquiring an additional 631,889 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 47,297,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,898,031,000 after acquiring an additional 919,158 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,699,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,508,216,000 after acquiring an additional 685,047 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,215,875 shares of the company’s stock worth $893,307,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,116 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.38% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Fastenal

Here are the key news stories impacting Fastenal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sales growth and contract/pricing wins — Fastenal reported net sales of ~$2.20B, up ~12% YoY, driven by contract wins and pricing, which supports longer-term cash flow and capital returns. Fastenal 1Q Sales Jump on Pricing, Contract Wins
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst actions — Bank of America raised its price target to $55 (largest upside among recent actions) and Robert W. Baird keeps an outperform stance with a $50 target, offering potential upside relative to current levels. BofA Raises PT to $55
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained/increased cash returns — Fastenal announced the upcoming quarterly dividend, supporting income investors and signaling confidence in cash generation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Results essentially in-line — GAAP EPS of $0.30 met consensus and revenue slightly beat estimates; that removes a downside surprise but offers limited upside catalyst on its own. Zacks: Q1 Earnings Meet Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript — Management acknowledged steady ramp in business since last summer but provided a cautious near-term tone; read the transcript for Q&A detail. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Margin squeeze from tariffs and energy — Management said tariff and energy-related supplier cost increases are outpacing the company’s ability to pass through prices, pressuring gross margins. Fastenal Sees Pricing Challenges
• Negative Sentiment: Higher capex and Q2 caution — Fastenal reiterated elevated 2026 capex (~$310–$330M or ~\$320M in some reports) and flagged Q2 as potentially challenging, which can limit near-term free cash flow and margin expansion. Seeking Alpha: CapEx and Q2 Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and downgrades — The stock sold off sharply after the print (near-term drop and elevated price surprise metrics), and Wolfe Research moved to an “underperform” with a lower $45 target, adding selling pressure. Barchart: Sold Off on Q1 Wolfe Lowers PT to $45

Fastenal Company Profile

Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) is a wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, best known for its broad assortment of fasteners such as bolts, nuts, screws and anchors. Founded in Winona, Minnesota, Fastenal has grown from a regional supplier into a national and international distributor serving a wide range of end markets, including manufacturing, construction, maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), and government customers. The company is publicly traded and operates through a network of locally staffed branches combined with national distribution capabilities.

Product offerings extend beyond fasteners to include tools, safety and personal protective equipment, power transmission components, cutting and welding supplies, janitorial and material handling items, and other industrial consumables.