Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ: FAST)’s stock price has plunge by -0.46relation to previous closing price of 71.42. Nevertheless, the company has seen a -1.00% plunge in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. zacks.com reported 2024-10-01 that Investors need to pay close attention to Fastenal (FAST) stock based on the movements in the options market lately.
Is It Worth Investing in Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ: FAST) Right Now?
The price-to-earnings ratio for Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ: FAST) is above average at 35.39x. The 36-month beta value for FAST is also noteworthy at 1.00. There are mixed opinions on the stock, with 3 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 6 rating it as “overweight,” 9 rating it as “hold,” and 0 rating it as “sell.”
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The public float for FAST is 571.48M, and at present, short sellers hold a 2.57% of that float. The average trading volume of FAST on October 02, 2024 was 2.64M shares.
FAST’s Market Performance
The stock of Fastenal Co. (FAST) has seen a -1.00% decrease in the past week, with a 4.12% rise in the past month, and a 13.27% gain in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 1.84%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 1.93% for FAST. The simple moving average for the past 20 days is 2.18% for FAST’s stock, with a 3.98% simple moving average for the past 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of FAST
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for FAST stocks, with Morgan Stanley repeating the rating for FAST by listing it as a “Equal-Weight.” The predicted price for FAST in the upcoming period, according to Morgan Stanley is $72 based on the research report published on September 06, 2024 of the current year 2024.
HSBC Securities, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see FAST reach a price target of $59. The rating they have provided for FAST stocks is “Hold” according to the report published on September 15th, 2023.
Stephens gave a rating of “Equal-Weight” to FAST, setting the target price at $60 in the report published on July 13th of the previous year.
FAST Trading at 3.95% 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 -10.06% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 1.93%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 1.84%, as shares surge +5.98% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading +4.12% upper at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, FAST fell by -1.00%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +11.01% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $69.78. In addition, Fastenal Co. saw 9.76% 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 50,000 shares at the price of $69.68 back on Sep 12 ’24. After this action, FLORNESS DANIEL L now owns 286,018 shares of Fastenal Co., valued at $3,484,050 using the latest closing price.
DANIEL LARS FLORNESS, the Officer of Fastenal Co., proposed sale 50,000 shares at $69.68 during a trade that took place back on Sep 12 ’24, which means that DANIEL LARS FLORNESS is holding shares at $3,484,050 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for FAST
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.2 for the present operating margin
- 0.44 for the gross margin
The net margin for Fastenal Co. stands at 0.16. The total capital return value is set at 0.39. Equity return is now at value 33.51, with 25.10 for asset returns.
Based on Fastenal Co. (FAST), the company’s capital structure generated 0.09 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 4.01. The debt to equity ratio resting at 0.1. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 192.11.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 1.71 billion with net debt to EBITDA at 0.15. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 5.52. The receivables turnover for the company is 6.16for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 1.61. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 4.39.
Conclusion
In summary, Fastenal Co. (FAST) has had a better performance as of late. Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with some viewing it as a “buy” and others as a “hold”. It is worth mentioning that the stock is currently trading in close proximity to its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
