As of Friday close, Fastenal Company’s (NASDAQ:FAST) stock was down -$0.24, moving down -0.46 percent to $52.14. The average number of shares traded per day over the past five days has been 4,652,780 shares. 2 times new highs have been achieved over the past 5 days, with a $0.62 gain in that time frame. In the last twenty days, the average volume was 3,323,360, while in the previous 50 days, it was 3,488,412.
Since last month, FAST stock retreated -1.77%. Shares of the company fell to $50.37 on 02/24/23, the lowest level in the past month. A 52-week high of $60.74 was reached on 02/02/23 after having rallying from a 52-week low of $43.73. Since the beginning of this year, FAST’s stock price has risen by 10.19% or $4.82, and marked a new high 12 times. However, the stock has declined by -14.15% since its 52-week high.
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Sponsored
FAST stock investors should be aware that Fastenal Company (FAST) stock had its last reported insider trading activity 39 days ago on Feb 07. Owen Terry Modock, the SENIOR EXECUTIVE VP of the company, disposed of 15,000 shares for $53.24 on Feb 07. It resulted in a $798,640 divestment by the insider. Watts Jeffery Michael added 5,940 shares at an average price of $50.58 on Nov 29. The insider now owns 5,940 shares following the transaction. On Oct 17, Director Nielsen Sarah N bought 500 shares at $44.89 apiece. The transaction was valued at $22,445.
Valuation Metrics
Right now, Fastenal Company (FAST) has a P/E ratio of about 27.62. The stock’s beta is 1.18. Besides these, the trailing price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 4.31, the price-to-book (PB) ratio of 9.41, and the price-to-cash flow ratio of 538.55 may also be considered.
The latest dividend of $0.35 per share was paid out, which is 12.9% more than last year’s $0.31. On Wednesday January 18 2023, a $0.04 dividend increase was announced.
Financial Health
In the three months ended December 30, Fastenal Company’s quick ratio stood at 1.80, while its current ratio was 4.00, showing that the company is able to pay off its debt. According to company report, the long-term debt-to-equity ratio for the quarter ending December 30 was 0.11, and the total debt-to-equity ratio was 0.18. On the profitability front, the trailing twelve-month gross margin is 46.10% percent. In the year ended December 30, operating margins totaled 20.80%. Based on annual data, FAST earned $3.22 billion in gross profit and brought in $6.98 billion in revenue.
A company’s management is another factor that investors consider when determining the profitability of an investment. In the past year, return on investment (ROI) was 29.60%. Return on equity (ROE) for the past 12 months was 34.40%.
In Fastenal Company’s quarter-end financial report for December 30, it reported total debt of $353.2 million. According to the earnings report, the company had a lower net income in the recent quarter than it did in the previous quarter. FAST’s revenue rose 9.64% to $1.8 billion during the quarter, while net income inched up to $1.7 billion. While analysts expected Fastenal Company to report $0.42 quarterly earnings, the actual figure was $0.43 per share, beating the consensus estimate by 2.40%. During the quarter, the company generated $377.7 million in EBITDA. The liabilities of Fastenal Company were 1.39 billion at the end of its most recent quarter ended December 30, and its total debt was $802.1 million. The value of shareholders’ equity is $570.83 million.
Technical Picture
This quick technical analysis looks at Fastenal Company’s (FAST) price momentum. With a historical volatility rate of 18.51%, the RSI 9-day stood at 49.81% on 17 March.
With respect to its five-day moving average, the current Fastenal Company price is up by +1.20% percent or $0.62. At present, FAST shares trade -1.66% below its 20-day simple moving average and +13.13% percent above its 100-day simple moving average. However, the stock is currently trading approximately +8.69% above its SMA50 and -2.65% below its SMA200.
Stochastic coefficient K was 38.33% and Stochastic coefficient D was 39.71%, while ATR was 1.23. Given the Stochastic reading of 38.79% for the 14-day period, the RSI (14) reading has been calculated as 51.06%. As of today, the MACD Oscillator reading stands at -0.12, while the 14-day reading stands at -0.28.
Analyst Ratings
Fastenal Company (FAST) has been rated Hold by analysts. According to 3 brokerage firms, FAST is a sell, and 10 firms recommend it is a Hold. There are 1 analyst who say the stock is underweight. A total of 0 analysts rate Fastenal Company stock as buy, with 2 recommending it as overweight.
With a median target price of $51.65, the current consensus forecast for the stock is $42.00 – $56.00. Based on these forecasts, analysts predict Fastenal Company (FAST) will achieve an average price target of $51.13.