Fastenal earnings date and guidance
Fastenal's next results are expected on January 19, 2027. Watch whether installed systems bring additional purchasing through a more productive network.
What has Fastenal guided for the year?
Management targets $310–330 million of net investment in property and equipment for 2026. It also targets 27,000–29,000 weighted FASTBin and FASTVend signings, programs that place supply bins or vending machines at customer sites. The targets include a 62–63% Digital Footprint—the share of sales made through digital tools and systems—and a 24.6% ongoing tax rate.
| the period guided | low | high | the date it was given | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| investment in property and equipment, net of proceeds from sales | Year to Dec 2026 | 310.0 | 330.0 | Oct 14, 2026 |
| weighted FASTBin and FASTVend device signings (MEUs) | Year to Dec 2026 | 27,000 | 29,000 | Oct 14, 2026 |
| ongoing tax rate | Year to Dec 2026 | 24.6% | 24.6% | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Digital Footprint (% of sales) | Year to Dec 2026 | 62.0% | 63.0% | Oct 14, 2026 |
Has Fastenal kept its promises?
Fastenal has reported progress in large-account selling and higher profit, alongside weaker conversion of earnings into free cash flow. The promise is therefore mixed, not broken: owners are best served when profitable growth arrives with a satisfactory return on the money committed to achieving it.
What do Fastenal's last eight quarters show?
Operating income and EPS rose year over year in each of the first three quarters of 2026. The turn is therefore in growth and operating efficiency, while pricing recovery and collection efficiency remain incomplete.
| Sep 2026 | Jun 2026 | Mar 2026 | Dec 2025 | Sep 2025 | Jun 2025 | Mar 2025 | Dec 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 2,463.3 | 2,386.9 | 2,201.7 | 2,027.4 | 2,133.3 | 2,080.3 | 1,959.4 | 1,824.5 |
| Gross margin | 44.8% | 44.6% | 44.6% | 44.3% | 45.3% | 45.3% | 45.1% | 44.8% |
| Operating income | 530.8 | 501.8 | 447.6 | 384.3 | 441.5 | 436.1 | 393.9 | 344.8 |
| Net income | 401.6 | 382.8 | 339.8 | 294.1 | 335.5 | 330.3 | 298.7 | 262.1 |
| EPS, diluted | 0.35 | 0.33 | 0.30 | 0.26 | 0.29 | 0.29 | 0.26 | 0.23 |
| = Free cash flow | 347.6 | 201.6 | 319.5 | 308.1 | 326.6 | 209.3 | 206.5 | 222.6 |
What this means. These are three-month figures, not full-year figures, even though some definitions say “during the year.”
What should Fastenal watchers watch next?
The December year end will test whether device signings, digital transactions and delayed investment reached their targets. These measures need to be read together. Lower spending could mean projects slipped again, while more digital activity could simply mean existing orders changed channels. The important question is whether installed systems bring additional purchasing through a more productive network.