Stock fact sheet · data as of
Fastenal Company (FAST): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Industrials · Industrial - Distribution · United States · Defensive
Is FAST undervalued?
At 50.38 (close of 16 Oct 2026), FAST trades 172% over the GLS average fair value of 18.53, with 0 of 9 models above the price. The stock earns none of the Wheel Score's Value points at this price. That is a statement about price against trailing fundamentals, not about the company's prospects - the Wall Street View and the Growth tab on the Quote page carry the forward numbers.
The 9 models disagree widely: Graham Number gives 10.03 while Graham Growth gives 32.10. A spread that wide means the average is sensitive to which methods you trust; the model table below shows where each one lands, and the Quote page lets you switch any of them off.
The nightly engine files FAST under Defensive: a low beta, a dividend and positive earnings.
Nine valuation models for FAST
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 25.96 | -48% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 10.03 | -80% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 32.10 | -36% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 11.16 | -78% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 10.86 | -78% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 27.52 | -45% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 21.22 | -58% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | 14.13 | -72% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 13.74 | -73% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | 2.06 | -96% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 51.29 | +2% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Financial health is average - FAST passes 5 of the nine Piotroski tests, which falls one point short of the Sunday Scan's "6 or more" rule. The Financials tab on the Quote page shows which tests fail. The GLS Moat score is 8.6 out of 10, built from ten years of revenue, earnings, margins, cash flow, share count and returns on capital scored for consistency - a high reading that points to a durable business.
Returns on capital are high - ROIC 28.7%, ROE 31.9%, ROA 24.9% - with debt at 0.11 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 1.8%.
The dividend yield is 1.91% at a payout ratio of 78%; for a wheel trader holding assigned shares the dividend adds to the covered-call premium, and the ex-dividend date is worth knowing before a call is sold. Revenue comes mainly from United States 89%, Canada 6%, Rest of world 5% (fiscal year FY2015).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 3/10 and Congressional trading 10/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 5 / 9 | ROIC | 28.7% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 8.6 / 10 | ROE | 31.9% |
| Debt / equity | 0.11 | ROA | 24.9% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 1.8% | Payout ratio | 78% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 3 · 10 / 10 |
Wheel Score 58: Fair
FAST scores 58 out of 100 on the Wheel Score (Fair band, 50-64): a usable but unremarkable fit for the wheel strategy. The parts: Value 0/25, Health 11/20, Moat 13/15, Premium 14/20, Stability 20/20. Value (0/25) is where the points are missing.
Implied volatility is 29% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out: some premium, but under the 35-60% range the Wheel Score pays full marks for (14 of 20 points). The option chain is deep: 96,345 contracts of open interest across all expiries, which means tight fills at most strikes.
Volume runs at 13.5M shares a day on a market cap of $57.8B, with a beta of 0.69 - a low beta, so day-to-day moves are smaller than the market's; the Stability part of the Wheel Score gives that 20 of 20.
| Part | Points | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | 0 / 25 | -172% margin of safety | |
| Health | 11 / 20 | Piotroski 5/9 | |
| Moat | 13 / 15 | moat 8.6/10 | |
| Premium | 14 / 20 | implied volatility 29% | |
| Stability | 20 / 20 | 13.5M shares/day, $57.8B cap, beta 0.69 |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls; it is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. The walkthrough lesson shows how the score fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for FAST in the nightly calendar. The shares go ex-dividend on 28 Oct 2026 (0.2600 per share), so a covered call sold before then carries a small early-assignment risk around that date.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Industrial - Distribution
The 12 companies below are the closest to Fastenal Company by market cap within the Industrial - Distribution industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GWW W.W. Grainger, Inc. | 1,331.17 | 587.82 | -126% | 56Fair | $62.7B |
| FERG Ferguson plc | 228.76 | 111.72 | -105% | 55Fair | $44.3B |
| WCC WESCO International, Inc. | 351.49 | 278.53 | -26% | 62Fair | $17.1B |
| AIT Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. | 333.83 | 176.96 | -89% | 62Fair | $12.3B |
| WSO Watsco, Inc. | 295.09 | 251.91 | -17% | 62Fair | $12.2B |
| QXO QXO, Inc. | 10.33 | 23.54 | +56% | 45Weak | $10.7B |
| CNM Core & Main, Inc. | 41.79 | 46.97 | +11% | 80Prime | $7.7B |
| MSM MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. | 130.70 | 62.37 | -110% | 59Fair | $7.3B |
| POOL Pool Corporation | 158.12 | 181.01 | +13% | 75Good | $5.7B |
| XMTR Xometry, Inc. | 95.15 | - | - | 45Weak | $5.3B |
| SITE SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc. | 89.36 | 90.59 | +1% | 72Good | $3.9B |
| DXPE DXP Enterprises, Inc. | 177.73 | 199.81 | +11% | 73Good | $2.8B |
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A free GLS Equity account gets you nightly fair value and the Wheel Score on ~7,400 US stocks, a watchlist, the scanner preview and the Sunday Scan - the same eight-rule screen, emailed every week. Pro adds the full put and call scanners, unlimited watchlists with alerts and the trade journal.
Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about FAST
Is FAST undervalued right now?
No: at 50.38 the stock trades 172% above the GLS average fair value of 18.53 (data as of 16 Oct 2026), well beyond what trailing earnings, cash flow and book value support.
What is the Wheel Score of FAST and what does it mean?
FAST scores 58 out of 100 (Fair). The Wheel Score blends the margin of safety (25 points), Piotroski health (20), the GLS moat (15), the option premium on offer (20) and trading stability (20) into one number that ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned. 80 and above is Prime, 65-79 Good, 50-64 Fair, under 50 Weak.
What is the GLS fair value for FAST?
18.53 per share as of 16 Oct 2026 - the simple average of the 9 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Fastenal Company report earnings next?
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for FAST in our calendar as of 16 Oct 2026; the Calendars page is refreshed every morning.
Does FAST have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 448 listed contracts with 96,345 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 29% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.