FASTENAL CO (FAST) is drawing unusual attention today. Our newswire has captured 18 stories on FAST across 9 sources in the last 36 hours, with AI sentiment reading mixed (avg 56/100).
Fastenal shares fell 6.58% to $48.05 on Wednesday, despite the company reporting third-quarter results that exceeded consensus estimates. The primary driver of the decline appears to be margin pressure, as gross margins slipped even as operating margins expanded due to SG&A leverage.
Fastenal posted third-quarter profit of $401.6 million, or 35 cents a share, compared with $335.5 million, or 29 cents a share, a year earlier. This beat the Wall Street consensus of 34 cents per share. Revenue came in at $2.463 billion, surpassing the $2.440 billion estimate. The company reported daily sales growth of 15.5% year over year.
While operating margin expanded 90 basis points to 21.5%, gross margin declined to 44.8%. This compression was attributed to a shift in customer mix, with contract customers growing to 76.5% of sales. The company filed a Form 8-K on October 14, 2026, disclosing these results.
The stock opened at $50.91, a 1.0% gap down from the prior close of $51.43. It reached a session high of $51.00 at 7:00 AM ET before sliding to a low of $47.19 at 9:25 AM ET. Volume so far stands at 0.6 million shares, which is 0.1 times the three-month daily average.
Fundamentally, Fastenal has a market cap of $59.1 billion and a P/E ratio of 44.0. Trailing twelve-month revenue is up 12.5%, with a net margin of 15.5%. The stock has a beta of 0.69 and a dividend yield of 2.02%. It trades within a 52-week range of $38.97 to $52.91, having printed a fresh 52-week high on October 14, 2026.
Insider activity shows four sells totaling $2.5 million in the last 90 days, with no buys. Congressional disclosures indicate one buy and two sells in the same period.
With earnings already reported, attention turns to how the market digests the gross margin decline against the strong sales growth. Analysts will likely revise forecasts based on the new margin data.
AI-assisted analysis composed exclusively from headlines and data on the Top Tier newswire. Public view is delayed 4 hours from real time. Not financial advice.
Fastenal (FAST) Q3 2026 earnings call recap: 15.5% sales growth, share gains, margin drivers, FMI outlook and risks on gross margin timing—read now.
Fastenal Company (FAST) Q3 2026 Earnings Call October 14, 2026 10:00 AM EDTCompany ParticipantsDray Schreiber - Accounting ManagerJeffery Watts - President,...
2026-10-14. The following slide deck was published by Fastenal Company in conjunction with their 2026 Q3 earnings call.
Fastenal earnings analysis: questions answered and next catalysts
Fastenal’s quarterly results topped estimates, but lower gross margins and a higher 2026 capital spending outlook remain key points for investors to watch.
The fastener-and-tool distributor posted third-quarter profit of $401.6 million, or 35 cents a share, compared with $335.5 million, or 29 cents a share, a year earlier.
Fastenal (FAST) Q3 earnings beat as manufacturing demand and contract sales rise, but margins face pressure and device targets dip.
Filed: 2026-10-14 AccNo: 0000815556-26-000046 Size: 620 KB Item 2.02: Results of Operations and Financial Condition Item 9.01: Financial Statements and Exhibits
Fastenal reported Q3 2026 daily sales growth of 15.5% and an operating margin of 21.5%, with SG&A leverage offsetting a modest gross margin decline to 44.8%. Contract customers grew to 76.5% of sales, while Digital Footprint remained steady at about 61% of revenue as FASTBin/FASTVend sales increased 17.6%. The company also returned $328.4 million to shareholders and ended the quarter with $100.0 million of total debt.
Why is Fastenal stock down today?
FASTENAL CO (FAST) is drawing unusual attention today. Our newswire has captured 18 stories on FAST across 9 sources in the last 36 hours, with AI sentiment reading mixed (avg 56/100). The most recent driver: "Fastenal expects 27,000 to 29,000 weighted device signings in 2026 as sales rise 15.5%" (Seeking Alpha).
Top Tier Newswire does not give financial advice. Our AI sentiment across the last 36 hours of FAST coverage reads 56/100 over 18 stories; treat it as a research signal and do your own diligence.
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More on FAST: full news and sentiment history. Sentiment scores are AI-derived research signals, not financial advice.
Earlier FAST move explainers: 2026-10-14