Insights Into Fastenal (FAST) Q1: Wall Street Projections for Key Metrics

Core Viewpoint - Analysts project that Fastenal (FAST) will report quarterly earnings of $0.52 per share, indicating no change year over year, with revenues expected to reach$1.94 billion, reflecting a 2.5% increase from the same quarter last year [1] Earnings Estimates - Over the past 30 days, there has been a downward revision of 0.3% in the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter, indicating a collective reconsideration by covering analysts [2] - Changes in earnings estimates are crucial for predicting investor reactions to the stock, as empirical research shows a strong correlation between earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price performance [3] Key Metrics Forecast - Analysts predict 'Business days' will total 63.00 Days, down from 64 Days a year ago [5] - 'Daily sales' are expected to reach $30.75, compared to$29.60 in the same quarter last year [5] - The 'Number of in-market locations' is forecasted to be 3,676, up from 3,464 a year ago [5] - 'Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend installations (MEUs; end of period)' are estimated at 129,887, compared to 115,653 last year [6] - The 'Number of active Onsite locations' is expected to reach 2,094, up from 1,872 in the same quarter last year [6] - Analysts forecast 'Number of branch locations' to be 1,583, slightly down from 1,592 reported last year [7] - 'Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend signings (MEUs)' are expected to reach 7,281, compared to 6,726 in the same quarter last year [7] Stock Performance - Fastenal shares have decreased by 9.6% over the past month, while the Zacks S&P 500 composite has declined by 12.2% [7] - Fastenal holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating it is expected to closely follow overall market performance in the near term [7]