Fastenal FAST reported $1.91 billion in revenue for the quarter ended September 2024, representing a year-over-year increase of 3.5%. EPS of $0.52 for the same period compares to $0.52 a year ago.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of -0.26% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.92 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $0.52, the company has not delivered EPS surprise.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers — revenue and earnings — and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company’s underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock’s price performance.

Here is how Fastenal performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Business days: 64 Days versus the six-analyst average estimate of 64 Days.
• Daily sales: $29.80 versus the four-analyst average estimate of $29.92.
• Number of in-market locations: 3,583 compared to the 3,567 average estimate based on three analysts.
• Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend installations: 123,193 versus 122,318 estimated by two analysts on average.
• Number of active Onsite locations: 1,986 compared to the 1,979 average estimate based on two analysts.
• Number of branch locations: 1,597 versus the two-analyst average estimate of 1,591.
• Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend signings: 7,281 compared to the 6,570 average estimate based on two analysts.

Shares of Fastenal have returned +0.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s +5.4% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), indicating that it could underperform the broader market in the near term.

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