The price-to-earnings ratio for Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ: FAST) is above average at 30.77x, while the 36-month beta value is 1.09.Analysts have differing opinions on the stock, with 2 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 0 as “overweight,” 10 as “hold,” and 2 as “sell.”

The average price point forecasted by analysts for Fastenal Co. (FAST) is $58.90, which is -$2.02 below the current market price. The public float for FAST is 570.24M, and currently, short sellers hold a 2.73% ratio of that floaft. The average trading volume of FAST on November 21, 2023 was 3.27M shares.

FAST) stock’s latest price update

Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ: FAST)’s stock price has increased by 0.28 compared to its previous closing price of 60.75. However, the company has seen a 2.15% increase in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. Zacks Investment Research reported 2023-11-07 that Investors looking for ways to find stocks that are set to beat quarterly earnings estimates should check out the Zacks Earnings ESP.

FAST’s Market Performance

Fastenal Co. (FAST) has experienced a 2.15% rise in stock performance for the past week, with a 5.75% rise in the past month, and a 7.16% rise in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 1.35%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 1.49% for FAST. The simple moving average for the last 20 days is 3.23% for FAST stock, with a simple moving average of 9.69% for the last 200 days.

Analysts’ Opinion of FAST

Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for FAST stocks, with HSBC Securities repeating the rating for FAST by listing it as a “Hold.” The predicted price for FAST in the upcoming period, according to HSBC Securities is $59 based on the research report published on September 15, 2023 of the current year 2023.

FAST Trading at 6.51% from the 50-Day Moving Average

After a stumble in the market that brought FAST to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -0.54% of loss for the given period.

Volatility was left at 1.49%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 1.35%, as shares surge +6.17% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading +11.58% upper at present.

During the last 5 trading sessions, FAST rose by +2.15%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +12.40% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $59.19. In addition, Fastenal Co. saw 28.74% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further gains.

Insider Trading

Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at FAST starting from FLORNESS DANIEL L, who sale 20,000 shares at the price of $60.21 back on Nov 14. After this action, FLORNESS DANIEL L now owns 282,929 shares of Fastenal Co., valued at $1,204,128 using the latest closing price.

Lisowski Sheryl Ann, the CAO/CONTROLLER/TREASURER of Fastenal Co., sale 17,296 shares at $60.01 during a trade that took place back on Nov 10, which means that Lisowski Sheryl Ann is holding 5,096 shares at $1,037,939 based on the most recent closing price.

Stock Fundamentals for FAST

Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:

• +20.82 for the present operating margin
• +43.69 for the gross margin

The net margin for Fastenal Co. stands at +15.57. The total capital return value is set at 38.03, while invested capital returns managed to touch 30.19. Equity return is now at value 34.23, with 24.59 for asset returns.

Based on Fastenal Co. (FAST), the company’s capital structure generated 25.36 points at debt to equity in total, while total debt to capital is 20.23. Total debt to assets is 17.63, with long-term debt to equity ratio resting at 16.07. Finally, the long-term debt to capital ratio is 12.82.

When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 4.84, with the company’s debt to enterprise value settled at 0.03. The receivables turnover for the company is 7.30 and the total asset turnover is 1.58. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 3.96.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, Fastenal Co. (FAST) has experienced a better performance in recent times. The stock has received mixed “buy” and “hold” ratings from analysts. It is worth mentioning that the stock is currently trading in close proximity to its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.