Fastenal Co (NASDAQ: FAST) has seen a rise in its stock price by 0.85 in relation to its previous close of 74.48. However, the company has experienced a -3.79% decline in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. zacks.com reported 2024-12-06 that FAST’s average daily sales increase year over year, backed by strong trends across the total Manufacturing end market.
Is It Worth Investing in Fastenal Co (NASDAQ: FAST) Right Now?
Fastenal Co (NASDAQ: FAST) has a higher price-to-earnings ratio of 37.33x compared to its average ratio, The 36-month beta value for FAST is at 1.00. Analysts have varying views on the stock, with 3 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 0 rating it as “overweight,” 12 as “hold,” and 3 as “sell.”
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The public float for FAST is 571.76M, and currently, shorts hold a 1.98% of that float. The average trading volume for FAST on December 26, 2024 was 2.77M shares.
FAST’s Market Performance
FAST’s stock has seen a -3.79% decrease for the week, with a -10.09% drop in the past month and a 5.64% gain in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 2.25%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 1.58% for Fastenal Co The simple moving average for the last 20 days is -5.35% for FAST stock, with a simple moving average of 5.20% for the last 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of FAST
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for FAST stocks, with Stifel repeating the rating for FAST by listing it as a “Hold.” The predicted price for FAST in the upcoming period, according to Stifel is $86 based on the research report published on December 11, 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 $70. The rating they have provided for FAST stocks is “Reduce” according to the report published on December 11th, 2024.
FAST Trading at -5.73% 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 -11.51% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 1.58%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 2.25%, as shares sank -10.32% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -2.06% lower at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, FAST fell by -3.26%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +1.06% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $79.38. In addition, Fastenal Co saw 15.33% 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 Jansen James C, who sale 19,564 shares at the price of $83.08 back on Nov 22 ’24. After this action, Jansen James C now owns 26,176 shares of Fastenal Co, valued at $1,625,279 using the latest closing price.
JAMES C. JANSEN, the Officer of Fastenal Co, proposed sale 19,564 shares at $83.08 during a trade that took place back on Nov 22 ’24, which means that JAMES C. JANSEN is holding shares at $1,625,279 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 0.15. The total capital return value is set at 0.38. Equity return is now at value 32.70, with 24.74 for asset returns.
Based on Fastenal Co (FAST), the company’s capital structure generated 0.06 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 5.19. The debt to equity ratio resting at 0.07. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 199.88.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 1.71 billion with net debt to EBITDA at 0.14. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 5.78. The receivables turnover for the company is 6.23for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 1.58. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 4.40.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Fastenal Co (FAST) has had a mixed performance lately. Opinion on the stock among analysts is mixed, with some giving it a “buy” rating and others a “hold”. It’s important to note that the stock is currently trading at a significant distance from its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
