FAST
Fastenal
$51.41
▲ 1.2%Updated Today 11:30 AM ET
FAST at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.
Overall: Favorable · 61/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.
▲ Up 10.6% over the last 12 months
Market Cap
$55.79B
P/E
45.4x
Forward P/E (est.)
40.29x
ROE
33.3%
Revenue Growth
10.9%
EPS Growth
12.7%
Profit Margin
15.4%
FCF Yield
5.0%
Debt / Equity
0.03x
ROIC
32.0%
Interest Coverage
153.31x
Current Ratio
4.39x
Dividend Yield
2.1%
Implied Growth (rev. DCF)
7.0%
Rating Score
61/100
Fastenal (FAST) is a large-cap company in the Trading Companies & Distributors industry, part of the Industrials sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $55.79B.
In its latest reported year it generated about $8.20B in revenue and $1.26B in net profit.
Our model rates FAST Favorable (61/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.
Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (10 years of history).
The filed history looks like a business competitors struggle to attack: high and steady margins, revenue that grows through cycles, and strong returns on capital.
45.3% average over the last 3 years
±1.6 pts around 46.8% across 10 years
grew in 9 of the last 9 year-over-year periods
positive in 10 of 10 years
32.0% latest fiscal year
A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.
Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what FAST's chart says today, with each tool explained.
Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. FAST trades near $51.41, above its 50-day average ($45.26) and 200-day average ($44.34). Price above both averages, with the shorter one above the longer, is the textbook definition of an uptrend — momentum favours buyers.
Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 65 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.
MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.
Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. FAST's is $1.08 (~2.1% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.
Support & resistance. Over the last month FAST found buyers near $44.64 (support) and sellers near $48.76 (resistance); its 52-week range is $38.97–$50.63. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.
Volume. The latest session traded 0.9× the 20-day average — about normal. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.
Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.
4Y CAGR
8.1%
Revenue moved from $3.96B in 2016 to $8.20B in 2025, a 8.4% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year grew a steady 10.9% year over year. Consistent top-line growth is one sign of healthy demand.
Gross Margin
45.0%
Operating Margin
20.2%
Net Margin
15.3%
ROE
33.3%
Fastenal keeps about 15.4% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 45.0% gross margin and 20.2% operating margin. Return on equity is 33.3% and return on invested capital about 32.0%. Margins this wide usually signal pricing power or a cost advantage.
Total Debt
$125.00M
Net Debt
-$183.60M
Net cash position
Net Debt / EBITDA
-0.11x
Debt / Equity
0.03x
Leverage: debt-to-equity is 0.0x, and operating profit covers interest about 153.3x, with a current ratio of 4.4x. That is a conservative balance sheet — a cushion in downturns. It carries roughly $125.00M of total debt against $308.60M of cash.
Operating CF
$1.30B
Free Cash Flow
$1.05B
FCF Margin
12.8%
In the latest year Fastenal produced about $1.30B of operating cash flow and $1.05B of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 5.0% on today's price. Strong cash generation funds dividends, buybacks, and reinvestment.
Can the payout survive a bad year? Scored from filed cash flow, earnings coverage, and the raise/cut record.
Coverage is weak, the payout was cut recently, or it's being financed rather than earned — treat the current yield as fragile.
Dividend yield
2.1%
Per share (latest FY)
$0.88
Total paid (latest FY)
$1.00B
History on record
10 years
dividend uses 96% of free cash flow
80% of net income paid out
total dividends increased 1 year in a row
payout was cut at least once in the last 10 years
Coverage uses the latest fiscal year as filed with the SEC; the streak counts total dollars paid (per-share figures can carry split artifacts). Educational information, not income advice.
P/E
45.4x
P/S
6.45x
P/B
13.04x
EV / EBITDA
—
FAST trades at 45.4x trailing earnings (about 40.3x on estimated forward earnings), 6.4x sales, and 13.0x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 7.0% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is a rich multiple that prices in a lot of future growth.
A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.
DCF fair value / share
$23.17
Current price
$51.41
Starting FCF (latest 10-K)
$1.05B
Growth, years 1–5
10.9%
Fade to terminal, years 6–10
2.5%
Discount rate
9.0%
Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.
Where FAST sits versus its Industrials sector peers in the S&P 500.
Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 144 Industrials companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.
How FAST stacks up against its Industrials peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.
In the Industrials sector (273 S&P 500 companies), FAST ranks #30 of 273 by our overall rating. It trades at a premium versus the sector on earnings (45.4x P/E vs. 32x median) with a higher return on equity (33.3% vs. 18.1%) and faster revenue growth (10.9% vs. 6.0%).
P/E vs sector
45.4x
median 32x
ROE vs sector
33.3%
median 18.1%
Growth vs sector
10.9%
median 6.0%
Sector rank
#30
of 273 by rating
Valuation vs. quality map
The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.
Peers are the closest Industrials companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 273 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.
Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.
2030 price target (Base Case)
$0.00 – $0.00
vs. $51.41 today · expected CAGR 0% – 11%
| Metric | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $9.10B | $10.10B | $11.22B | $12.45B | $13.82B |
| Net income | $1.37B | $1.52B | $1.68B | $1.87B | $2.07B |
| EPS | $1.26 | $1.40 | $1.55 | $1.72 | $1.91 |
| Share price (low) | $33.97 | $37.70 | $41.85 | $46.46 | $51.57 |
| Share price (high) | $56.61 | $62.84 | $69.75 | $77.43 | $85.94 |
| CAGR (low–high) | -34% / 10% | -14% / 11% | -7% / 11% | -3% / 11% | 0% / 11% |
Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.
The case for FAST:
- Revenue is growing 10.9% a year, a sign of real demand.
- High net margins (15.4%) point to pricing power or efficiency.
- Strong return on equity (33.3%) shows capital is put to work well.
- Healthy free-cash-flow yield (~5.0%) funds buybacks and dividends.
- A conservative balance sheet (debt/equity 0.0x) lowers risk.
- Pays a 2.1% dividend on top of any price gains.
- Our model's overall read is Favorable (61/100).
The case against FAST:
- A rich 45.4x earnings multiple prices in a lot of growth.
- Like any single stock, it is exposed to competition, the economic cycle, and shifts in its end markets.
Valuation risk — at 45.4x earnings, disappointing results could compress the multiple.
Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.
On balance, the fundamentals screen favourably: Fastenal is a large-cap industrials business still growing nicely, with solid profitability, and a sound balance sheet. It trades at 45.4x earnings, which our model scores Favorable (61/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.
Analyst Ratings
What 26 Wall Street analysts covering FAST recommend (August 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.
Analysts have turned more positive over the last three months (+21 pts of buy ratings).
Latest SEC Filings
FAST's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.
In the Idea Lab
FAST — frequently asked questions
Is FAST a good stock to buy?
We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Fastenal Favorable (61/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.
What is FAST's rating on The Stocks School?
Fastenal currently scores 61/100 (Favorable) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.
How our ratings work →Where does FAST's data come from?
Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Fastenal's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.
How is the 5-year projection for FAST calculated?
It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.
Is this FAST analysis financial advice?
No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell FAST. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.
Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.
Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.