Fastenal began as an industrial retailer, expanding its product portfolio from nuts and bolts to cutting tools, safety equipment, and janitorial supplies. It transitioned into a distributor by building out a dense network of branches close to its business customers. Once a customer becomes large enough, Fastenal installs vending machines and its own personnel on-site. Today, these on-site locations exceed Fastenal's branch count and remain the firm's main focus for expansion. Fastenal acts as a one-stop outsourcing partner for its industrial customers, offering value-added services along with a wide breadth of maintenance, repair, and operations supplies.
The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in Fastenal Co, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.
Returns By Period
Fastenal Co (FAST) has returned 15.00% so far this year and 26.36% over the past 12 months. Looking at the last ten years, FAST has achieved an annualized return of 14.28%, outperforming the Benchmark (SPY), which averaged 12.23% per year.
FAST
1M-3.14%
6M-3.18%
YTD15.00%
1Y26.36%
5Y13.12%
10Y14.28%
Benchmark (SPY)
1M-3.85%
6M-2.35%
YTD-4.36%
1Y34.06%
5Y9.80%
10Y12.23%
Monthly Returns
The table below presents the monthly returns of Fastenal Co (FAST) with color gradation from worst to best to easily spot seasonal factors.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
2026
7.70%
6.45%
0.94%
-0.54%
2025
0.69%
4.01%
2.01%
4.82%
2.54%
2.09%
9.73%
8.31%
-0.61%
-15.43%
-1.85%
0.25%
2024
6.14%
6.51%
5.67%
-11.90%
-2.88%
-4.66%
11.80%
-3.08%
4.94%
9.76%
7.56%
-14.44%
2023
6.15%
3.00%
4.96%
0.19%
-0.55%
8.86%
-0.26%
-1.61%
-5.84%
6.65%
2.55%
8.35%
2022
-11.26%
-9.03%
15.41%
-6.89%
-3.62%
-7.45%
3.24%
-1.06%
-8.10%
3.60%
5.62%
-8.44%
2021
-7.02%
0.32%
8.27%
3.79%
1.03%
-2.52%
4.80%
1.55%
-7.62%
10.19%
3.46%
7.09%
2020
-5.93%
-2.81%
-8.97%
20.05%
15.28%
3.53%
9.34%
3.15%
-7.72%
-4.72%
13.24%
-1.37%
2019
17.83%
3.64%
1.48%
8.62%
-13.33%
8.60%
-6.44%
-0.71%
7.79%
8.91%
-2.15%
4.44%
2018
-0.31%
0.26%
-0.20%
-7.51%
6.40%
-10.15%
19.60%
2.60%
-0.05%
-12.01%
14.78%
-12.85%
2017
4.81%
0.36%
1.86%
-12.70%
-3.79%
0.60%
-0.58%
-0.97%
6.27%
2.82%
10.93%
4.83%
2016
-3.13%
-1.92%
-3.50%
-3.56%
0.77%
-3.40%
-6.25%
21.29%
-1.12%
Performance Indicators
The charts below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Fastenal Co (FAST) and compare them to a Benchmark (SPY). These indicators evaluate an investment's returns against its associated risks.
Sharpe ratio
Sortino ratio
Omega ratio
Calmar ratio
Martin ratio
sharpe ratio
The Sharpe ratio helps investors understand how much return they're getting for the level of risk taken. A higher Sharpe ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance, meaning more reward for each unit of risk.
These values reflect how efficiently the investment has delivered returns relative to its volatility over different time periods. All figures are annualized and based on daily total returns.
The chart below shows the rolling Sharpe ratio of FAST compared to the benchmark. This view highlights how the investment's risk-adjusted performance has changed over time.
Volatility Chart
The current Fastenal Co volatility is 1.37%, representing the standart deviation of percentage change in the investments's value, either up or down over the past month. The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
Drawdowns Chart
The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. It shows the maximum percentage drop from a peak to a trough over a specified period, indicating the risk of significant losses. Although chart shows positive values, it represents the percentage drop from the peak, so a value of 10% means the portfolio has dropped 10% from its highest point.
Income Statement
The income statement provides a summary of a company's revenues, expenses, and profits over a specific period. It shows how much money the company earned (revenues) and how much it spent (expenses), leading to the net income or profit. This statement is crucial for understanding a company's financial performance and profitability.
2025
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2009
Liabilities And Equity (USD)
5.05B
4.46B
4.55B
4.30B
3.96B
3.80B
3.32B
2.91B
2.67B
2.53B
2.36B
2.08B
1.82B
1.68B
1.33B
Equity Attributable To Parent (USD)
3.94B
3.35B
3.16B
3.04B
2.73B
2.67B
2.30B
2.10B
1.93B
1.80B
1.92B
1.77B
1.56B
1.46B
1.19B
Equity Attributable To Noncontrolling Interest (USD)
Genuine Parts Company announced plans to separate its Automotive (NAPA) and Industrial (Motion) businesses into independent entities, similar to General Electric's restructuring. Despite a disastrous Q4 earnings report that caused a 14.5% stock decline due to pension settlements and supplier bankruptcy charges, the article argues this creates a special situation opportunity. The Industrial segment (Motion) is undervalued relative to pure-play industrial distributors, while the Automotive business provides defensive cash flow. With a 3.4% dividend yield and 12-month timeline to separation, investors have a 'paid-to-wait' scenario.
Investing.com•Jeffrey Neal Johnson
AI Insight
Referenced as another pure-play industrial distributor trading at premium valuations (28-33x P/E), used to illustrate the valuation gap for Motion but not directly analyzed.
The article discusses stock splits in 2025, highlighting O'Reilly Automotive as a strong investment due to its robust business model and macro tailwinds, while cautioning against Lucid Group due to operational challenges and financial struggles.
The Motley Fool•Sean Williams
AI Insight
Briefly mentioned as part of stock split discussion without detailed analysis
Netflix completed a 10-for-1 stock split on November 17, 2025, marking its third forward split since going public. The split aims to make shares more accessible to retail investors and highlights Netflix's continued market leadership in streaming services.
The Motley Fool•Sean Williams
AI Insight
Ninth stock split since 1987, uses innovative inventory technology, integral to industrial supply chains
Netflix announced a 10-for-1 stock split, making shares more affordable for retail investors. The split follows similar moves by other companies like O'Reilly Automotive, Fastenal, and Interactive Brokers Group in 2025.
The Motley Fool•Sean Williams
AI Insight
Successfully integrated internet-driven inventory solutions and benefits from economic growth
Three large-cap stocks - Cintas, Fastenal, and Gen Digital - have experienced significant price drops since August but maintain strong fundamental business characteristics, presenting potential investment opportunities for risk-tolerant investors.
Investing.com•Sam Quirke
AI Insight
Stock dropped 15% after earnings miss, but has robust long-term fundamentals, disciplined cost control, consistent dividend growth, and analyst price target implies potential upside
O'Reilly Automotive completed a record 15-for-1 stock split in 2025, benefiting from aging vehicle trends and an impressive share buyback program that has retired nearly 60% of outstanding shares.
Fastenal reported strong Q3 results with 11.5% revenue growth and improved margins, despite a stock pullback. The company shows resilience in manufacturing and construction sectors, with potential for future growth.
Investing.com•Thomas Hughes
AI Insight
While the stock pulled back in October, the company demonstrated solid operational performance with revenue growth, margin improvements, and strong fundamentals. Analysts remain supportive but current valuation (42x earnings) might limit immediate upside.
Fastenal reported mixed Q3 2025 results with revenue slightly exceeding estimates but earnings per share missing analyst expectations. The company saw increased customer contract signings and higher unit sales despite slow industrial production.
Benzinga•Lekha Gupta
AI Insight
Missed earnings per share expectations (29 cents vs 30 cents predicted), stock trading lower premarket by 3.84%
Third-quarter earnings season kicks off with major companies like Fastenal, JPMorgan Chase, and Taiwan Semiconductor reporting, with analysts focusing on performance, digital initiatives, and AI chip demand.
Benzinga•Erica Kollmann
AI Insight
Analysts expect steady earnings with potential growth from digital initiatives and expanded customer contracts
U.S. stock futures rose after Trump's comments about China, with Magnificent 7 stocks surging in premarket trading. Markets anticipate potential Federal Reserve interest rate cuts and are watching upcoming economic data releases.
Benzinga•Rishabh Mishra
AI Insight
Jumped 2.57% ahead of earnings, with mixed price trend indicators
