Fastenal Co (NASDAQ: FAST) has seen a decline in its stock price by -3.04 in relation to its previous close of 74.42. However, the company has experienced a -6.95% decline in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. zacks.com reported 2025-04-04 that Fastenal (FAST) doesn’t possess the right combination of the two key ingredients for a likely earnings beat in its upcoming report. Get prepared with the key expectations.
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 36.02x. The 36-month beta value for FAST is also noteworthy at 0.98. There are mixed opinions on the stock, with 4 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 0 rating it as “overweight,” 10 rating it as “hold,” and 3 rating it as “sell.”
The public float for FAST is 572.33M, and at present, short sellers hold a 2.40% of that float. The average trading volume of FAST on April 08, 2025 was 3.35M shares.
FAST’s Market Performance
FAST’s stock has seen a -6.95% decrease for the week, with a -9.78% drop in the past month and a 0.66% gain in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 3.41%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 2.45% for Fastenal Co The simple moving average for the past 20 days is -5.30% for FAST’s stock, with a -1.51% simple moving average for the past 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of FAST
Stifel gave a rating of “Hold” to FAST, setting the target price at $86 in the report published on December 11th of the previous year.
FAST Trading at -4.34% 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 -14.99% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 2.45%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 3.41%, as shares sank -9.57% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -4.46% lower at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, FAST fell by -6.95%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +11.10% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $76.20. In addition, Fastenal Co saw 0.35% 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 Lewis Holden, who sale 68,664 shares at the price of $74.97 back on Mar 14 ’25. After this action, Lewis Holden now owns 10,097 shares of Fastenal Co, valued at $5,147,957 using the latest closing price.
HOLDEN LEWIS, the Officer of Fastenal Co, proposed sale 68,655 shares at $74.97 during a trade that took place back on Mar 14 ’25, which means that HOLDEN LEWIS is holding shares at $5,147,275 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 33.04, with 25.12 for asset returns.
Based on Fastenal Co (FAST), the company’s capital structure generated 0.12 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 2.42. The debt to equity ratio resting at 0.13. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 206.85.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 1.51 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 5.51. The receivables turnover for the company is 6.81for 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 4.67.
Conclusion
In summary, Fastenal Co (FAST) has had a mixed performance as of late. Analysts have bullish opinions on the stock, with some viewing it as a “buy” and others as 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.
